Knuckle

nuk′l, n. projecting joint of the fingers; ( cook. ) the knee-joint of a calf or pig.— v.i. to bend the fingers: to touch the forehead as a mark of respect: to yield.— v.t. ( rare ) to touch with the knuckle.— ns. Knuck′le-bones , a game (called also Dibs ); Knuck′le-bow , the curved part of a sword-guard that covers the fingers; Knuck′le-dust′er , a kind of modern cestus, devised as a protection against garrotters; Knuck′le-joint , a joint where the forked end of a connecting-rod is joined by a bolt to another piece of the machinery.— Knuckle down , to apply one's self with vigour to a task: to submit—in this sense, also Knuckle under . [M. E. knokil ; cf. Dut. knokkel ; prob. Celt., W. cnwc .]