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 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, UP takes UP almost 1/4 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 a while, 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.....