It is no coincidence that you have been hearing the terms “to hunker
down” lately, in connection to the COVID19-related Shelter-in-place or Stay-at-home Orders. Both terms are actually synonymous, even if the registers are
different.
The term "to hunker" is a term that originally
means “to squat”. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the term to hunker is originally Scottish, recorded
as far back as 1750, with the following definition:
To squat, with the haunches, knees, and ankles acutely bent, so as to bring the hams near the heels, and throw the whole weight upon the fore part of the feet.
A definition that by the same token explains the Scottish expression on one's hunkers,
also meaning to squat.
Figuratively, chiefly in the United States,
especially in the military, and in association with the preposition ‘down', to hunker down means to shelter or take cover and lie low. Thus, it is the meaning by extension of the term to hunker, associated with the preposition down, that is surfacing so much of late, within the context of the call to action against COVID19.
Here are a few illustrations reflecting the synonymy.
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| On one's hunkers... |
Incidentally, on March 15, 2020, Merriam-Webster's online dictionary registered an 8,500% increase in lookups for the term "hunker down".
Merriam-Webster - Trending: 'hunker down'
https://www.merriam-webster.com/news-trend-watch/fauci-americans-must-hunker-down-20200315
Oxford English Dictionary - Hunker (verb) - Full entry
https://www-oed-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/view/Entry/89505?
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