shape-up

or shape·up

[ sheyp-uhp ]

/ ˈʃeɪpˌʌp /

noun

an act or instance of shaping up.

a former method of hiring longshoremen in which the applicants appeared daily at the docks and a union hiring boss chose those who would be given work.

Words nearby shape-up

shaoyang, shape, shape note, shape up, shape-note singing, shape-up, shaped, shaped charge, shapeless, shapely, shapen

Origin of shape-up

First recorded in 1940–45; noun use of verb phrase shape up