dig in

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

to commit fully to a task, begin eating with enthusiasm, or establish a defensive position with firm determination; in agricultural contexts to dig in means to begin the physical work of soil preparation with energy and commitment; in military usage to dig in means to excavate defensive positions and prepare to hold ground under attack; in the context of beginning a meal it is an informal invitation to start eating without ceremony; more broadly the phrase captures the quality of wholehearted engagement — putting aside hesitation, rolling up one's sleeves, and applying oneself energetically to the work at hand without holding back; the agricultural root of the phrase grounds the metaphor of effort and commitment in the most fundamental form of human labour with the soil