Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“If I really buckle down, I think one day I could be a very good actress. But I haven’t done anything yet.”
- Actress Megan Fox on her potential. (Entertainment Weekly)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
focus; concentrate; commit to getting something done
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
Megan Fox is best known for starring in the Transformers movies. Although those movies made her famous, her role in them wasn’t very challenging. She probably did about as much serious acting as the giant robots she starred with. But Fox thinks that if she really tried hard and applied herself, she could be a great actress. She just needs to buckle down.
Buckles are found on shoes, jackets, belts, and straps. The verb buckle usually means to secure with a buckle. When someone tells you to buckle up, it means you should put on your seat belt in a car. About 500 years ago, soldiers had to buckle themselves into their armor before going into battle. So the phrase buckle yourself came to mean something like “prepare oneself for a difficult task.” That’s how the expression buckle down evolved.
Teachers often tell their students to buckle down at school. Kids who party a lot are told by their parents that they need to buckle down. And if Megan Fox wants to be taken seriously as an actress, she needs to buckle down and start acting in more serious films. But if she’d rather just keep having fun and running around looking sexy in her movies, her fans probably won’t mind.
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“I have to buckle down and study tonight.”
“John used to party all the time, but lately he’s been trying to buckle down.”
“If the football team doesn’t start buckling down and taking practice more seriously, they’ll never make it to the playoffs.”