square one's shoulders
The phrase "square one's shoulders" can be used both literally, to describe a physical posture, and figuratively, to describe mental readiness.
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Definition
B2Physical Posture
(literal)To pull one's shoulders back and align them in a straight line.
Example
- He squared his shoulders before stepping onto the stage.
B2Mental Preparation
(figurative, idiomatic)To mentally and emotionally prepare oneself to face a difficult situation.
Example
- She squared her shoulders and walked into the meeting, ready to confront the issue.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "square one's shoulders":
brace upshoulder to shoulderbuck upsquare offgather strengthback to square oneroll up one's sleevesstraighten uplook over one's shouldersack uptake on the chinbear upsquare upstraight from the shoulderman upstand one's groundbare one's breastknuckle downfind one's legs