manned up
Found your spine
Manned up is the past tense of man up, meaning to summon courage or toughness in a difficult situation: He finally manned up and asked for a raise.
The phrase implies adopting traditionally masculine qualities like stoicism or boldness, though it's used by and about people of any gender.
Sometimes used critically as reinforcing outdated gender expectations.
- grew a pairBecame brave suddenly
- big boy pantsMetaphor for adult behavior
- valorCourage in danger
- leadershipAbility to direct others
- ownershipLegal right of possession
perseverance · fearlessness · fortitude · daring · faced the music · resolve · maturity · conscientiousness · obligation · grit · tough it out · dependability · self-discipline · stewardship · boldness · initiative · heroism · stoutheartedness
manned upcowered
Shrank back in fright
chickened out · wimped out · backed down · caved · lost nerve
manned upshirked
Avoided obligated tasks
ducked out · copped out · passed the buck · deflected · avoided
man, manned, manning, mans, manly, manliness, manhood, mankind, unmanned