key up
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verb
(tr, adverb) to raise the intensity, excitement, tension, etc, of
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Words nearby key up
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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How to use key up in a sentence
Other Idioms and Phrases with key up
key up
Make intense, excited, or nervous. For example, The excitement of the gallery opening has really keyed her up. This usage alludes to key in the sense of “wind up a spring-driven mechanism such as a clock.” [Late 1800s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.