get up

get up idiom
  1. Arise from bed; also, sit or stand up. For example, Once I get up and have coffee, I'm ready to work. One of Irving Berlin's earliest hit songs was “Oh! How I hate to Get Up in the Morning” (1918). [Mid-1300s]
  2. Ascend, mount, as in I hate to get up on a ladder. [First half of 1500s]
  3. Create or organize, as in She got up the petition against zoning. [Late 1500s]
  4. Dress or adorn, as in She plans to get herself up in a bizarre outfit. This usage is most often put in the form of the past participle (got up), as in The wedding albums were got up with ruffles and lace. [Late 1700s]
  5. Draw on, create in oneself, as in I finally got up the nerve to quit, or Joe got up his courage and told the boss he was leaving. [Early 1800s] Also see get someone's back up; also see the subsequent idioms beginning with get up.

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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