tuck up
(redirected from tuck somebody up)tuck up
1. To raise something up and place or secure it in a snug or secure location, especially one that is out of the way. A noun or pronoun can be used between "tuck" and "up." Would you mind tucking the curtains up into the windowsills so I can vacuum the floors? I had to tuck up my skirt into my waistband so it would get muddy while I crossed the swamp.
2. To draw and hold one's legs, knees, or feet to a higher point. A noun or pronoun can be used between "tuck" and "up." Just make sure you tuck up your knees and keep your head down before impact. We both tucked our legs up on the couch and threw the blanket over us as the movie began.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
tuck something up (under something)
to place or push something, such as cloth, up under something. Tuck the sheet up under the mattress when you make the bed. Tuck up the sheet under the mattress when you make the bed.
tuck something up
to raise up some part of one's clothing and attach it temporarily. She tucked her skirt up and waded through the flooded basement. She tucked up her skirt.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
tuck up
v.
1. To put someone or something in a snug spot: The babysitter tucked the children up soundly in bed. I tucked up the horses in the barn.
2. To put something in an out-of-the-way, snug place: The cabin was tucked up among the pines. I tucked my hair up under a wool cap.
3. To draw up some body part into a tuck position: The diver tucked up her legs for a somersault. The gymnast tucked his knees up to his chest during the dismount.
4. To assume a tuck position: The flight attendants advised the passengers to tuck up for a rough landing.
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.