dig down

dig down

1. Literally, to dig a hole into something, such as the ground. I had to dig down and create holes in the soil before I could plant the flowers. Those darn groundhogs keep digging down in my herb garden! Rover dug down in the back yard so he could bury his bone.
2. To spend one's money. We had to dig down after our construction budget ballooned beyond what we had planned. Even though I dug down wooing that prospective employee, he turned down our offer. Wow, Sean certainly didn't dig down when he bought that junker. He'll be lucky to get to the end of the block without it breaking down!
See also: dig, down
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

dig down

 and dig deep 
1. . Lit. to excavate deeply. They are really having to dig deep to reach bedrock. We are not to the buried cable yet. We will have to dig down some more.
2. Fig. to be generous; to dig deep into one's pockets and come up with as much money as possible to donate to something. (As if digging into one's pocket.) Please dig down. We need every penny you can spare. Dig down deep. Give all you can.
See also: dig, down
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

dig down

Pay with money from one's own pocket; be generous. For example, We've got to dig down deep to make the next payment. [Colloquial; c. 1940]
See also: dig, down
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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References in classic literature ?
We have, therefore, a well of sixty feet in diameter to dig down to a depth of nine hundred feet.
When a city is buried thirty or forty feet deep beneath earth and great trees have grown over it, it is not easy to dig down to it."
As it seemed reasonable to conclude that a man who had never been buried could not be unburied, the diggers gave him up when their task was done, and did not dig down for him into the depths of the earth.
Soon I find the walls of the cabin, and I dig down to the door.
To install one, we measure out the garden space, dig up the grass and weeds to prevent their growth in the garden, use string to ensure straight edges, and then dig down several inches before placing the blocks.
Most plants need a root depth of 15-20cm, so it is best to dig down at least this far, though you'll want to dig to around 30cm deep if growing root vegetables.
'In some locations under our cassava and cashew plantations, if we dig down about five to six metres, we may spot a gold mine.
So, instead of using a hoe, take a trowel or a specialist weed tool to dig down and pull out the weeds by the roots.
"We had to dig down, and they had to be at the basement level anyway.
They said that cotton farmers should dig down from zero to 30cm deep and collect five to 25 samples from a cotton field and then mix all these to get a compound sample.
They said that cotton farmers should dig down from zero to 30 cm deep and collect five to twenty five (25) samples from a cotton field and then mix all these to get a compound sample.
Keep | planting bulbs for next spring - try easy ones like chionodoxa and crocus - easy because you don't have to dig down far.
In the opening scene, a group of young airmen shovel snow to music from the Claude-Michel Schonberg adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel, singing "Dig down, dig down, raise your shovels high" to the tune of Work Song.
Mark said: "They say they will have to dig down under the house once the house has been cleaned to find what will be left under the floorboards and everything up to a metre down because of contamination.