fold up

fold up idiom
  1. Fail, especially go out of business. For example, Three stores on Main Street have folded up.
  2. Collapse, break down. For example, When she told him about the dog's death, she folded up. This idiom alludes to closing or bringing an object into more compact form. [Early 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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