Source : WordNet®

hunker down
     v 1: sit on one's heels; "In some cultures, the women give birth
          while squatting"; "The children hunkered down to protect
          themselves from the sandstorm" [syn: {squat}, {crouch},
          {scrunch}, {scrunch up}, {hunker}]
     2: take shelter; "During the sandstorm, they hunkered down in a
        small hut"
     3: hold stubbornly to a position; "The wife hunkered down and
        the husband's resistance began to break down"