There is a two-letter word that has perhaps more meanings than any other two-letter English word, and that is the word “UP.”
It’s easy to understand “UP” as meaning “toward the sky” or “moving to the top” of something, but why do we wake UP in the morning (just before we get UP)?
At a meeting, we must speak UP in order to bring UP a topic. Then it’s UP to the secretary to write UP a report (unless she can think UP an excuse).
We call UP our friends and ask them to come UP for dinner. For them, we brighten UP the room, and we polish UP the silver, hoping they’ve worked UP an appetite. We mess UP the kitchen cooking UP a meal and using towels to soak UP spills. Afterward, we have to clean UP, and the next day, we warm UP the leftovers.
Sometimes, guys lock UP their house, line UP to buy parts, and then fix UP their old cars.
Politicians stir UP trouble, especially when they’re UP for election.
To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is something special!
A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. If your can of Drano is empty, it’s all used UP.
We open UP a store in the morning, but at night we close UP shop.
If it looks like rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, some things get wet and may end UP being all rusted UP. But when it doesn’t rain for a while, then everything dries UP. And in the winter, things can freeze UP!
We seem to be pretty mixed UP about “UP”! If you want to know more about “UP,” look it UP in the dictionary. It may take UP a fourth of the page, and can add UP to about thirty definitions!
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP your own list of the many uses of “UP.” It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don’t give UP, you may wind UP with more than a hundred!
I could go on and on, but my time is UP. I’m going to wrap it UP by shutting UP!
Now—you can forward this note, or you can just delete it—it’s UP to you!
Sourced from: University of Arizona