It's all actually quite simple if one focuses on the base definition of the word. "Up" represents an ascension or an increase in altitude, movement or indication towards a higher value - escalation from bottom towards the top or from low to high. That higher value can be anything from position in a line or list to level of consciousness to intensity of the shine on a polished finish.
Therefore, anything that represents escalation or amplification from a lower to a higher state is covered by that little two letter word. Shine up, grow up, wake up, dig up, etc, etc.
Even the less obvious examples make sense. "up for election" implies moving to the front or "top" of a list as does a topic coming "up" for discussion. "Dressed up" is simply a higher state of dress than being less formally dressed or "dressed down." Speaking "up" is an increase or going up in volume and you wake up simply because you initially lay "down" to sleep. A person is "screwed up" when their level of screwedness is perceived to be
higher than that of the person describing them as such.
At the risk of sounding all
uppity it all seems quite obvious with a bit of thought. Didn't even have to look it
up. I don't mean to mess
up the spirit of the thread by coming
up with all this, but when topics like this pop
up, I get my hopes
up that it will blossom into an interesting discussion, and I'm always
up for that. Given the charged-
up atmosphere in the lounge lately, though, I realize this could all blow
up into another silly row, but if it were
up to me we'd all just lighten
up and try to get along.
