curl up
(intr) to adopt a reclining position with the legs close to the body and the back rounded
to become or cause to become spiral-shaped or curved
(intr) to retire to a quiet cosy setting: to curl up with a good novel
British informal to be or cause to be embarrassed or disgusted (esp in the phrase curl up and die)
Words Nearby curl up
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
How to use curl up in a sentence
Poetry is no longer something we curl up to with a cup of tea.
Americans Have Never Loved Poetry More—But They Call It Rap | John McWhorter | June 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBecause there are definitely times that I want to curl up with Upstairs, Downstairs and disappear.
‘New Girl’ Creator Liz Meriwether on Jess, Sexuality, Schmidt & More | Jace Lacob | May 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTIn the midst of all the holiday craziness, are you looking for a good book to curl up with?
Then curl up with a BlackBerry and dive into Twitter Lit—micro novels, online book clubs, and (gasp) real books.
And now it was Louis's turn to let his sharp little beard curl up in impotent anger.
God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
But I'll sell it, and sit under thatched hurdles as they did in old times, and curl up to sleep in a lock of straw!
Far from the Madding Crowd | Thomas HardyAnd he released his hold upon the chart, allowing the corner he had been holding to spring back and curl up.
A Middy of the King | Harry CollingwoodShe would never again look kindly at me, or curl up to me at night to keep me warm.
Beautiful Joe | Marshall SaundersHe tore it up and threw the fragments in the fire, and watched them curl up and carry their secret away with them.
Katharine Frensham | Beatrice Harraden
Other Idioms and Phrases with curl up
Assume a position with the legs drawn up; settle down for sleep in this posture. For example, I love to curl up with a good book. [c. 1900]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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