There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meaning
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 waken 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, 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.
And
this UP is confusing: 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
of the proper uses of UP, look UP the word in the
dictionary. In a desk size dictionary it takes UP almost a
fourth of the page and definitions add UP to about thirty.
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 UP the earth. 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 I'll shut UP...
