I’m sure you will enjoy this. I don’t know another word in the English language that can be a noun, verb, adj, adv or prep.
This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word and that word is UP.’ It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].
It’s easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election (if there is a tie, it is a toss UP) and why is it UP to the secretary to write UPa report? We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.
At other times, this little word has a special
meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite and think UP excuses.
To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.
And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is blocked UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don’t give UP, you may wind UP with (UP to) a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, the earth soaks UP the rain. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP. One could go on and on, but I’ll wrap UP now . . . My time is UP!
Oh . . . One more thing: What is the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?
U
P!
Did that one crack you UP?
Don’t screw UP.. Send this on to everyone you look UP in your address book . . . Or not . . . it’s UP to you.
Now I’ll shut UP!
Oh Barbara, thanks for opening up to us about up! 😮 Wishing you and yours all the best for 2015! ❤
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Thank you Christine for your good wishes and I wish you and you family a healthy and prosperous 2015! ❤
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“What’s up with Barbara?”
“Why? She seems up.”
“But now she’s raining down up-glut.
She’s all worked up;
It burns me up;
Enough! My up-cup is filled up.”
“Oh, come now, pup,
Don’t fret, drink up,
It’s ‘Bottoms up’,
And pass the cup,
Resent a word?
Why, that’s absurd!
So you’ll wind down,
Let’s head downtown.
😉
Well, not my cleverest, but had to try. Up is a tricky one for rhyming, isn’t it?
This WAS an interesting post, Barbara.
A continued Merry Christmas to you, until that magical January 6th 🙂
(By then, my tree will look like Charlie Brown’s, I’m afraid.)
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Outlier Babe, thank you so much for sharing these up-beat words for the up-and-coming festivities for the New Year! I do hope your Christmas continues to bring you joy and wasn’t a balls-up! UP is a tricky one to use… hope your stocking was filled up to the top! ❤
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I don’t know why I haven’t seen your blog up in my reader for a LONG time! What’s up with that? You probably think (since I haven’t responded in a while) that I’m stuck up or something, but that’s not true at all. I give this goofy funny blog post two thumbs up!
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I would never think of you as stuck up, Martha! I haven’t been posting everyday, just preparing for family to stay during the Christmas break. As far as the Reader is concerned, I don’t get all of the people that I supposedly follow there. It is a hotch potch rather than the people I would like to see. I’m vaguely on vacation! Have a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas Martha! 🙂
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I guess I have to be the one to mention ‘throw up’. Sorry; it had to be done.
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There are some rude Australian colloquial UPs that I’ll resist. Yours is descriptive and an expression useful to many at this time of the year! 🙂
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🙂
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I think you’ve really UPped the ante here, Barbara 🙂
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:D. 😀
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No wonder It is so easy to stuff up speaking and writing English
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So true! 🙂
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I’m not up to par today, I can’t think of a brilliant response! I’m with you, Barbara, love this wild and woolly language of ours.
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Once upon a time I would have been upset but tonight, like you, Barbara,
I am tired and must get up and go to bed. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. 😘
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Hahaha! Look what we have to put UP with to read this post! 🙂 Not that you need it, but I’ll add up one more to your list: Yesterday I chopped a tree down, and today I am going to chop it UP. With that I think I’ve had it UP to here 😉
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Glad you could add to the list. I shall get my comeUPpance, as I didn’t write this piece! A friend e-mailed me this. I love language, especially the idiosyncrasies of English and decided to share it; enough to make everyone fed UP. 🙂
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This is the most uppity 🙂 post that I’ve ever read. Immensely enjoyable. Loved it.
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Up to pussy’s bow with uppity responses!! 🙂 Thank you petspeopleand life!
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I enjoyed this immensely, Barbara! Thanks for putting this Up 😉
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Thanks Raja, hope you’re not up to mischief!
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That takes it UP to the next level. Well done. Loved it.
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I’m glad you’re not fed up! 🙂
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This should be sent to all teachers of English as a second language … {grin}
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Thanks for that thought, I have a friend starting to teach ESL this year! 🙂
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