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rub up on

Idioms  

  1. Refresh one's knowledge, as in I must rub up on my French before we leave for Paris. [Second half of 1700s] Also see brush up, def. 2.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I could rub up on French and German, and read up the treatment for toothache and burns—but experience!"

From Saturday's Child by Norris, Kathleen Thompson

Nice to rub up on the old days!

From Babbitt by Lewis, Sinclair

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.