buckle down

present singular third person buckles down · participle present buckling down · participle past buckled down · past buckled down

1. idiomaticintransitiveTo apply oneself to study, or a task or work; to focus on or take a serious attitude towards something; to put forth the needed effort.

   If he would buckle down and do his homework, he could be an excellent student.

   2 more examples

   I confess that the recollection of what this bell could do when it buckled down to it gave me pause as I stood that night at 12.30 p.m. prompt beside the outhouse where it was located.

   1934 October 5, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XXII, in Right Ho, Jeeves, London: Herbert Jenkins […], →OCLC, page 280

   Coach Crowley: Well, we need to talk biology. Mr. Kawahara says you're failing. And if you can't get your grade up, you'll lose your scholarship. Casey: What? No, I... I can't afford this place without it. Coach Crowley: I know, but there's still time to fix this. Not as much time as if you'd come to me weeks ago when I'd asked. Casey: Sorry. I... I just had, like, a lot going on, so... Coach Crowley: Now it's time to buckle down. Kawahara says that you'll be fine if you ace the midterm. So that's your mission, beat biology class.

   2018, Jen Regan, Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal, “Living at an Angle” (3:35 from the start), in Pete Chatmon, director, Atypical, season 2, episode 8, spoken by Coach Crowley and Casey (Kimmy Gatewood and Jack Haven), via Netflix

   Synonyms: buckle to