scare up

Idioms  

1. Also,. Assemble or produce with considerable effort, as in We managed to scare up extra chairs for the unexpectedly large audience, or He managed to scrape together enough cash to buy two more tickets. The first term alludes to scare in the sense of “flush game out of cover” and dates from the mid-1800s; the variant, alluding to scratching or clawing for something, was first recorded in 1549. Also see scrape up an acquaintance.

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Example Sentences

If all of a sudden Twitter isn’t just Twitter, but X, the future state of interconnectivity or whatever, maybe he can scare up enough cash to keep the lights on.

From Los Angeles Times

After an initial shock, Josh is thrilled to discover Lyle, who has been stowing away in the attic listening to an iPod while Hector is out hitting the boards trying to scare up some cash, and the two bond over several bouts of dumpster diving.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’ll go through Mtoroshanga on my way to Harare. If I can scare up the Wild Child’s daddy, I’ll take her back with me and Bliksem. If not—well, there’s always boarding school. The government makes grants for orphans.”

From Literature

Canyon de Chelly I used to take part in the gold rush of pilot season, when all the Canadian actors would flock down to Los Angeles to try to scare up some work.

From New York Times

While Vasco could scare up the few grand he would’ve needed if he won the ticket lottery, he knew there was no way he could afford double that.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• acquire
• bring in
• collect
• derive
• draw
• gain
• get
• make
• obtain
• pick up
• realize
• reap
• receive
• score
• secure
• win