The Origin of “Knuckling Down”

Did you know that the phrase “knuckling down” derives from the game of marbles where players who focused on putting their knuckles down would be able to produce the best shots? You see, they had to choose their shooter marble, which was most likely a marble bigger than all the others, and then proceed to knock the other marbles out of the ring. That’s roughly the end of my knowledge of the game, but I suddenly want to find someone who can teach me. (There’s not an app for that, or if there is, I’m sure it doesn’t do the schoolyard practice justice.)

Kids don’t play marbles much these days—I don’t know why it fell out of fashion—but we all should continue to knuckle down, shouldn’t we?

Of course, now the expression is less about tiny balls of beautiful glass and more about the idea of applying oneself determinedly to a task. Knuckling down is always good advice, whether it’s in the pursuit of a passion, in an effort to meet a personal or professional goal, or simply to show off your marbles prowess.

Our knuckles might not be pressed against the schoolyard sidewalk, but getting ourselves in a position to make an impact is good advice for anyone, I’d say.

I have my causes. My guess is that you do too.

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