soak up
1. To absorb or gather moisture or liquid. A noun or pronoun can be used between "soak" and "up." Use a paper towel to soak excess fat up after you cook the sausages. The paramedic applied a second bandage to help soak up the blood.
2. By extension, to absorb or take in all or as much of something as possible. A noun or pronoun can be used between "soak" and "up." I can't wait to be on the beach soaking up the sun! She was captivated by the class, soaking up the teacher's every word. I always try to soak his advice up whenever he offers it.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
soak something up
1. Lit. to gather up moisture or a liquid, using an absorbent cloth, paper, etc. Alice soaked the spill up with a sponge. she soaked up the spilled milk.
2. Lit. [for cloth, paper, or other absorbent material] to absorb moisture or a liquid. Please get some paper towels to soak the spill up. The sponge soaked up the orange juice.
3. Fig. to learn or absorb some information; to learn much information. I can't soak information up as fast as I used to be able to. The tourists will soak up anything you tell them.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
soak up
1. Absorb, take in, as in I lay there, soaking up the sun, or She often went to hear poets read their work, soaking up every word. This usage, alluding to absorbing a liquid, dates from the mid-1500s.
2. Drink to excess, as in She can really soak up her beer.
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.
soak up
v.1. To absorb something, such as a liquid, through or as if through pores: The towel under the sink soaks the leaking water up. The quilt used to hang in the barn, and I'm afraid it soaked up some of the smell.
2. To take in or accept something mentally, especially eagerly and easily: I soaked up the atmosphere as I wandered its streets. The student soaked up everything the teacher said.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.