dig in
verb1
Colloquial To begin eating.
- I wanted to say grace before dinner, but the kids were already digging in.
2
Colloquial To engage in a burst of hard work.
- I've got to dig in for a couple of weeks to secure my promotion.
- Mancini's men were far from their best but dug in to earn a 10th win in 11 league games and an eighth successive victory in all competitions to maintain their five-point lead at the top of the table.2011 November 5, Phil Dawkes, “QPR 2 - 3 Man City”, in BBC Sport:
3
Government, Military, Politics, War Also, Figuratively, In sports To dig trenches to resist an enemy attack.
- If Russia choses to dig in, then the military balance – which typically favours the defender on a 3-1 ratio – is reversed.2022 April 4, Dan Sabbagh, “Routing of Russian forces from Kyiv area will be hard to repeat in eastern Ukraine”, in The Guardian:
4
Idiomatic To adopt a resolute state of mind.
- to dig in one's feet, heels, etc.
5
To cover over by digging.
- Derived terms
- dig in one's heels
- Related terms
- dig into