The exhortation grab a root and growl is a way of telling someone to buck up and do what must be done. The sense of grabbing and growling here suggests the kind of tenacity you might see in a terrier sinking his teeth into something and refusing to let go. This phrase is at least 100 years old. A much more rare variation is grab, root, and growl. Both expressions are reminiscent of a similar exhortation, root, hog, or die. This is part of a complete episode.
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My family has always used grab a root and growl to mean do it yourself. We usually used this phrase in relation to the family meal. Either the meal is planned and prepared or each person gets their own food (mostly leftovers or canned foods).
I suppose my mother was telling me and I have been telling my family to buck up and do what needs to be done in order to eat.
I prefer grab a root and growl.
In my mind, I always used it to mean scrounge together.