Wednesday, March 30, 2011

WHAT’S UP?

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'
It's easy to understand
UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ?
Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ?
We call UP our friends.
And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.
We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
At other times the little word has real special meaning.
People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.
To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.
A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.
We seem to be pretty mixed
UP about UP !
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary.
In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used.
It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP .
When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP ....
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it
UP, for now my time is UP, so...it is time to shut UP! Besides you are probably fed UP with UP by now. Well, I’ve had it UP to here! Wherever that is.

8 comments:

ancient one said...

So this post shows up on my sidebar.. LOL

Caddie said...

"up" is certainly a busy little word. I'm worn down reading all its uses.Interesting to know this; I think I'll take down the dictionary and look up "up"; then I might look up "down".

Tossing Pebbles in the Stream said...

Did I miss something. Did you include the pejorative "up yours!"

In Canada, we have the fascinating two lettered "non-word" eh! which is interjected everywhere. I guess you know that being from Maine, where they have their own version, sounds something like "eh-up!"

possum said...

Wouldn't you know it? I'd miss the most important UP of all! Thanks for reminding me, Philip!
Eh,up - I missed a big one.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

This post certainly has its Ups and downs.

troutbirder said...

Upsy daisy. :)

Ginnie said...

I can't believe that our retired Unitarian minister Phillip was the one to remind us of the pejorative UP !
If you allowed it you could get really FED UP with all the usages of this little two letter word !

Anonymous said...

What's UP?????