Words are my business.
I love them dearly, but sometimes, they can be perplexing, confusing, and downright ornery. Here’s one word, a tiny one, that conveys my meaning with its myriad meanings. The tiny word is UP. And it has more definitions and uses than a giraffe has spots. In the dictionary it takes UP, ahem, half a page to define. Let us count the ways UP is employed.
We wake UP in the morning, go outside and look UP at the sky.
We stand UP. We sit UP.
We speak UP at meetings, write UP reports.
We can be UP to a task or not.
We warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.
UP can be an adverb, an adjective, a preposition, a noun, or a verb. See if you can pick those out.
We dress UP for an occasion, lock UP the house and walk UP the street.
We call UP our friends, fix UP an old car, brighten UP a room with flowers.
We can stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite or think UP excuses.
We open UP a drain that’s stopped UP.
We open UP a store in the morning and close it UP at night.
It can cloud UP and rain, then clear UP for the sun to shine.
When it doesn’t rain, the earth dries UP. When it does rain, the earth soaks UP the water.
A candidate can be a runner-UP in an election.
We can pick UP a box, or move UP a ladder.
Then there’s that great animated film, UP, about a flying house and . . . well, never mind.
I think you get the idea. If you have more definitions for UP that I missed here, or, perhaps other similar words, please share!
Was about saying UP cannot be used to start a sentence but I am wrong.
Example: “UP from the grave he arose…”;
Thought UP cannot be used to begin a sentence but again I am so wrong.
Example: UP came the winner,
UP he sat and ate his bread;
Next UP is the word that never ends, which ever side you are on UP can be used everywhere especially in this sentence turned poem.
Pretty amazing, isn’t it? It’s UP to you to agree!
We also “screw” up don’t we?
As an UPstart, I would not want to UPstage anyone but I am UP for more of this. It was a wakeUP call. Keep it UP.
Good ones, John! I wonder how many more UPs we can find within words. Makes me tired to think!
Isn’t your birthday coming UP soon?
Not sure about this word, I will have to look it UP!
Maybe this is the reason some young hipsters revolted with “I’m DOWN with that!” as a nod of agreement. Tired of being UP for it.
Ha, Lovey. Yes, my birthday is coming UP and you must come UP to celebrate! We’ll celebrate UP the wazoo!
Pondering the many meanings? What’s up with that?
Clear up – shut up – cheer up- fed up- wipe up-
BUT UP doesn’t always have to be used. I depends on the context of the sentence – along came the winner, He sat upright and ate his bread..
UP is not good at the start of a sentence – but – Up and out from the grave he arose….
Good points, Anne. Thanks.
Great post. “Up” does have a lot of different uses in our language. Reading this, I’m thinking these different uses might be a tricky thing to learn for a non-native English speaker.
I think English is a tough language to learn for many reasons. Thanks.
English is indeed a tough language to learn but it is also forgiving. People who speak English as a second language can be understood easily despite making several grammatical errors in the same sentence. It might be because English is not as precise a language as many other languages, like French for example, so general ideas can be easily interpreted.
Interesting point, Michel. Thanks!
or how about when someone says to us? “Up yours”
Too common. I guess I forgot that one! Ha!
Of course, Rick A is never going to give you UP!
And for a child there’s “upsy daisy.” Now I’m trying to remember who wrote “Up, up and away in my beautiful balloon?”