Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (53 page)
Coming Up
and
Coming Down
Use
come up
(rather than
go up
) to mean to appear or come into view from below. For example, when the sun (or moon) rises or comes into view, say “The sun
came up.”
However, when the sun or moon sets (disappears below the horizon), use the idiom
go down.
You would say “The sun
goes down at 6 p.m.,”
not
comes down.
Use the idiom
go down
to talk about other things that lower and/or disappear from sight. Here are some examples with
come up
and
go down:
- Flowers
come up
in the spring
(appear above the soil). - The bath water
went down
the drain
(disappear down the drain pipe). - He put ice on the bump on his head and it
went down (got smaller or disappeared).
So when should you use
come down?
Use
come down
(or
come back down
) when you mean to return to the normal or original position, or to the preferred position.
- His fever has finally
come down (return to normal or close to normal). - Will gas prices ever
come back down? (return to a more normal or preferred price) - Hey,
come down
out of that tree!
(return to the ground).
When
Up
Means into Pieces
When the preposition
up
is added to verbs like
cut, tear, slice,
and so on, the new verb means to separate into pieces (often small pieces). For example,
tear up
means to tear into small pieces (and possibly discard). If someone says “Oops! I
tore
my report,” you might say “Here’s some tape to repair it.” But if someone says “I
tore up
my report,” you’ll probably be surprised and say “Why?! What was wrong with it?” The following sentences show some of the most common phrasal verbs of this type. They are all separable.
- She
cut up
an onion for the stew
(cut into pieces). - Chop up
some celery for the stuffing, please
(chop into small pieces). - She
ripped up
an old shirt for rags
(rip or tear into pieces). - Slice up
this tomato, please
(slice into many slices). - He
tore
the letter
up
and threw it away
(tore into small pieces).
When
Up
Means Completely or Until Gone
When the preposition
up
is added to verbs like
drink, eat, use,
and others, the new verb means to finish or do until completed or gone. For example,
“Drink
your milk” means, in general, to take a drink of it. But
“Drink up
your milk” means specifically to finish it or drink it all. The idioms in the following examples all mean to do the action completely or until finished. They are all separable.
- Who
ate up
the cake
(ate the last of it)? - Drink up
your coffee, and I’ll refill your cup
(drink it all). - She
filled up
the tank with gas
(filled it completely). - I
finished up
the report last night
(completed the last part). - We
used
all the bread
up (finished it all; it’s gone).
Without the word
up,
the verbs in the preceding sentences still mean to eat, drink, fill, and so on. However, they don’t necessarily imply or emphasize that the action should be finished or done completely. For example, “Who
ate
the cake?” could mean “Who had some of the cake?” but “Who
ate up
the cake?” definitely means “Who finished it?” To
fill
the tank and to
fill up
the tank have the same meaning, but strangely, you can also say, “She
filled
the tank halfway.” If you want to state clearly that something is filled completely, say “
filled up.
”
In some contexts, the verb alone sounds like a command or order. For example, “Drink your coffee!” sounds like a command, but “Drink up your coffee!” sounds more like a suggestion or invitation to empty your cup. To politely tell someone to finish the entire contents, say “
Drink up.”
[See also “
Clean It Up!
” later in this section.]
When
Up
Means More, Faster, Better, and So On
Sometimes, adding
up
to a verb is like adding a comparative, such as
more
,
better
,
faster
,
sooner
, and so on. For example, “Hurry!” means to go quickly so you won’t be late or miss something. “
Hurry up!
” also means to go quickly but specifically means to hurry faster.
Hurry up
is usually used impatiently to urge someone to go faster or to quickly finish something, for example, “
Hurry up!
We’re all waiting for you” or “Would you
hurry up
in the bathroom. I need to get ready for work.”
Note:
It would be incorrect to say “The nervous speaker
hurried up
through his speech.” The correct way is “The nervous speaker
hurried
through his speech.”
The following examples show some of the most common idioms of this type, all of which use
up
to imply
more.
All are separable except
speak up.
- The weather is beginning to
warm up. - She
lightened up
the skin tones in her painting. - The sky begins to
lighten up
around 6 a.m. - The white paint really
brightens up
this room. - I
tightened up
those loose screws. - It’s starting to rain. I wish the bus would
hurry up. - You can’t
hurry
him
up;
he goes at his own pace. - We can’t hear you.
Speak up,
please.
[See
cheer up, speak up,
and
lighten up
later in this chapter.]
When
Up
Adds Emphasis
Using the preposition
up
with some verbs adds emphasis or subtle meaning to the verb. You might argue that these are not true idioms, but often these terms are used in a limited context or to express meaning that is more specific than the general meaning of the verb. The following are some common idioms in this category. The definitions show how the idiom’s meaning or usage is slightly different form the verb alone.
- They
cooked up
a delicious meal
(not just cooked, but prepared for the purpose of serving). - My aunt
mixes up
a batch of cookies whenever I visit
(mixes and bakes in order to serve). - Eat up,
everyone!
(eat heartily and with enjoyment) - Call
me
up
sometime
(telephone, often to socialize).
[See also
mix up
later in this section.]
Clean It Up!
Idioms that include the preposition
up
and a cleaning verb (
clean
,
sweep
,
vacuum
,
wipe
, or
rake
), mean specifically to remove or get rid of visible clutter or bits of dirt or debris. For example, “
Rake up
the leaves” means specifically to rake and remove the leaves. Of course you can simply say
clean, sweep, vacuum
and so on to describe general cleaning. But people tend to add the preposition
up
to imply that specific bits of debris or dirt need to be removed. For example “
Wipe up
the counter” implies that something specific like crumbs, a spill, or other mess needs to be wiped and removed. The following examples show how these idioms are used:
- He
cleaned up
the leaves in the back yard. - After woodshop class, everyone helps
sweep up. - Please
vacuum up
the dirt you brought in the house! - Wipe
that spill
up
quickly before someone slips on it.
Note
: You can say
vacuum the rug
or simply
vacuum up,
but don’t say
vacuum up the rug.
That implies the entire rug will be sucked into the vacuum!
The Five Senses and Phrasal Verbs with
Up
You can remember the following group of phrasal verbs by noting their reference to the five senses: sight (
look up
), sound (
listen up
), smell (
smell up
), taste (
spice up
), and touch (
touch up
).
look up (S)
1.
to look for or check information in a dictionary or other reference source ♦
You can
look up
idioms in the index of this book.
2.
to locate, call, or visit someone, especially someone you don’t see regularly ♦
We
looked up
our old college friends when we were in New York.
♦
Please
look
me
up
if you ever come to my city.
listen up
to listen carefully or attentively to someone’s announcement; usually said as a command ♦ Listen up,
everyone, I want to make an announcement.
♦ Listen up!
Here’s the schedule for tonight’s game.
smell up (
or
stink up) (S)
to cause something (usually an area) to smell bad or take on a strong odor ♦
Cooking fish or cabbage can
smell up
the house.
♦
Ugh! That cigar really
stinks
the room
up.
Note:
Stink up
is used for especially bad odors.
spice up (S)
1.
to make food or drink more spicy (hot) or flavorful by adding spices ♦
Those red peppers really
spice up
this dish.
2.
to make something more interesting or exciting, to add zest ♦
We can
spice
this poster
up
with some colorful photos.
touch up (S)
to repair or freshen chipped paint or nail polish, make-up, or photos ♦
She just had time to
touch up
her make-up before going out for the evening.
♦
I need some special paint to
touch up
the scratch on my car.
Speaking Out and Keeping Quiet
The idioms
speak up
and
talk up
can mean to express one’s opinion or support, or to speak openly or louder. By contrast, the idiom
clam up
and the slang expression
shut up
mean to withhold one’s opinion or to be quiet.
Talk up
is the only transitive and separable phrasal verb of this group.
speak up
1.
to express one’s opinion, desires, or support freely and openly without hesitation or fear ♦
He finally
spoke up
about the problems at work.
♦
If you’d like something to eat, just
speak up.
2.
to speak louder or more clearly so that you can be heard; often said as a request ♦
You’ll have to
speak up.
I don’t hear very well.
talk up (S)
to speak in strong support or in favor of something; to promote; often used to imply promoting for economic or personal gain ♦
A sales representative’s job is to
talk up
the quality of a product.
♦
We want this idea to be approved, so
talk
it
up
at the meeting.
clam up
to keep silent or refuse to talk or respond; generally used informally ♦
When he tries to chat with his teenage daughter, she often
clams up.
shut up
1.
to stop or cause to stop talking; to say nothing more about a specific topic.
Shut up
is considered informal and very rude when said as a command. ♦
This speaker should
shut up
and sit down!
♦
Hey,
shut up!
I’m trying to hear this program.
2. (S)
to prevent from speaking or writing freely ♦
His government tried to
shut
him
up
by exiling him, but he continued to write.
♦
They paid him just to
shut
him
up
about the scandal.
3. (S)
to confine, imprison, or enclose ♦
We usually
shut
the dog
up
in the garage at night.
♦
He was
shut up
in prison for 20 years.
Thinking and Dreaming
Think up
and
dream up
both mean to imagine, invent, or devise an idea or solution, but they are used in slightly different ways (as described below).
Make up
implies devising a falsehood or untruth.