let up

let up idiom
  1. See let down, def. 2.
  2. Cease, stop entirely, as in The rain has let up so we can go out. [Late 1700s]
  3. let up on. Be or become more lenient with, take the pressure off, as in Why don't you let up on the child? [Late 1800s]

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.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.