Double down means to increase one’s commitment in a risky situation, to increase one’s investment in a precarious endeavor in the hopes of a big payoff. The term double down was first used in the gambling game, blackjack, to describe the process of doubling one’s bet before drawing the last card.
Buckle down means to work hard at a task or project, to tackle a job with resoluteness. Buckle down appears in America in the middle of the nineteenth century, possibly derived from the British term buckle to, which also meant to work hard at a task or project, to tackle a job with resoluteness.
Example
Gov. Matt Mead unveiled an updated state energy strategy Monday that seeks to “double down” on the state’s commitment to coal while also growing the state’s burgeoning renewable energy sector. (The Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
I would double down on my student loan payments, increase my monthly savings auto debit and let myself boost my restaurant budget. (USA Today)
Rather than end these practices they decided to double down on them by voting for another amendment presented by Senator David Pierce that gives local authorities the means to freely discriminate against anyone for any reason they deem ‘suitable.’ (The Examiner)
“She was able to buckle down and get the job done,” Hart said. (The Standford Examiner)
Why Blizzard doesn’t buckle down and make a fully-fledged animated film at this point, I have no idea. (Forbes)
“If Corbyn is not prepared to buckle down and show proper leadership he should just go, and give us a chance to get a leader who can properly take on the Tories,” she said. (The Guardian)
Goals are historically hard to come by in the playoffs, where teams buckle down defensively and wait for the other team to make a mistake. (The Dallas Observer)
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