See Also: buckle(1)(dictionary)
buckle(2)(dictionary)
turn-buckle(medicine)
buckle 1, verb(dictionary)
buckle 2, noun(dictionary)
Raspberry Buckle(recipes)
Buckle my Shoe - Bingo(gambling)

buckle(2) (iou)



buckle verb. LME.
[Branch I from the noun; branch II from French boucler bulge.]
I.
verb trans. Fasten with a buckle. (Foll. by up, on, etc.) LME.
b. verb intrans. Foll. by up: fasten a seat belt, wear a seat belt. N. Amer. L20.
verb intrans. Grapple, engage, with. Now dial. M16.
Sir W. Scott Would..interrupt you just when you were buckling with your labours.
verb intrans. & refl. Equip oneself, prepare, for battle, an expedition, etc. Now only fig. foll. by to (preposition & adverb), down (to): prepare for or set about (work etc.), apply oneself vigorously (to). M16.
Burke I have shook off idleness, and begun to buckle to. T. F. Dibdin Now buckles himself to the uninterrupted perusal of the..text. B. Harte Chiquita Buckled right down to her work. E. Reveley You'll really have to buckle down and cram for those exams.
verb intrans. & trans. Marry. dial. & joc. L17.
verb trans. Fix (hair) in curl. E18-M19.
II.
verb trans. & intrans. (Cause to) give way or crumple up, esp. under longitudinal pressure. E16.
A. Powell One of the legs buckled, but the chair did not break. D. Attenborough The..rocks..are twisted and buckled. T. Berger Her knees threatened to buckle.
verb intrans. fig. Submit, cringe. obsolete exc. dial. M17.
Comb.: buckle-beggar Scot. a clergyman who performed irregular marriages.