Wednesday's Random Slang-o-rama: Hunker down

While viewing the terrifying images of Hurricane Dorian and the resultant damage and destruction these past few days, I found a phrase that often came mind was hunker down in the sense of "take cover." According to dictionary.com, hunker down can mean to hide, hide out, or take shelter. Another definition is to squat on one's heels.

Hunker—Such an odd word, don't you think?

At least, I thought so...

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World Wide Words has a nice discussion of the phrase, noting:

It sounds like the most typically American of phrases, but it seems originally to have been Scots, first recorded in the eighteenth century. Nobody seems to know exactly what its origin is, though it has been suggested it’s linked to the Old Norse huka, to squat; that would make it a close cousin of old Dutch huiken and modern German hocken, meaning to squat or crouch, which makes sense.

The Online Etymological Dictionary agrees, adding:

Hunker down, Southern U.S. dialectal phrase, is from 1902, popularized c. 1965; in this use the verb is perhaps from northern British hunker "haunch."

So, first U.S. use is early 20th century?

Hmmmm.
 
Using ngram and Google Books, I did find one appearance (in the sense of squatting) in Overland Monthly and Out West Magazine, Volume 14, published 1875.

But honestly, this is probably of little interest to the people who are in Dorian's path. If you are one of those folks, please: hunker down someplace safe, and don't take chances!

'Tis the season to hunker down...
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay