Charlemagne said:
(Where did the verb "to hunker" come from?)
I'll take a guess. I think it comes from the old west days when the most influential and important business owners in the town were the Madames that ran the brothels. When difficult times or weather were approaching, they'd take in their most dependable cow hand customers, along with a few foul to create eggs and meat for food, and then they'd board the windows and bar the doors to protect their hunks until things passed. See also "Katy bar the door" and "Duck and cover".
