sink teeth into


sink (one's) teeth into (something)

To start doing or become involved in something with one's utmost energy, determination, or enthusiasm. I'm always looking for a great book to sink my teeth into. I'd like you to sink your teeth into this new project I'm developing.See also: sink, teeth

sink (one's) teeth into

Informal To undertake an endeavor energetically: She sank her teeth into the challenging project.See also: sink, teeth

sink one's teeth into, to

To become fully engaged or engrossed in something. The analogy in this term, which began to be used figuratively only in the early twentieth century, is to the animal that bites deeply and vigorously into food. Dorothy Sayers used it in Gaudy Night (1935), describing a scholarly effort: “If one could work . . . getting one’s teeth into something dull and durable.”See also: sink, teeth