UP：一个举足轻重的短字

Are you UP on “UP”?

不久以前看到一个笑话；这笑话有关胡锦涛主席和奥巴马总统讨论中国的“吃”文化，其内容大致是“占女人便宜叫吃豆腐；女人漂亮叫秀色可餐，女人多了叫吃不消，受人欢迎叫吃香，受到照顾叫吃小灶，不顾他人叫吃独食；受人伤害叫吃亏，男女嫉妒叫吃醋。。。”等等。

“吃”， 好一个举足轻重的汉字！

这笑话让我想起一个有类似重要性的英语字：UP。

您也许会认为 UP 是个又短又微不足道的英语字。其实，这个短短的字，比任何其他两个字母的英语单词有更多的含义。它既是名词，也是动词，副词，介词，和形容词，商务大词典对这个字有73 个不同定义，词典的解释横贯全部 6 栏。

用 UP 这个字我们可以造出很多有趣的句子。下面的例子只不过是 UP 的几乎无限的不同用法的一小部分。

一言以蔽之，UP 是个非常意味深长，举足轻重的英语字。

Are you UP on “UP”?

UP is simple to understand, right? It normally means towards the sky or at the top of the list, but it's so easy to be messed UP about UP...

When we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

Why do we start a conversation with "What's UP?"

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP, and why are the candidates UP for election? Why do we wait for the results to be tallied UP to find out who won?

Why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

Governments like to hush UP bad news but play UP the good news.

We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, dish UP a dinner party, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.

At other times this little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets; work UP an appetite, and make UP excuses...

You've been stood UP if your date fails to show UP. After an argument with your spouse you make UP. If you're sorry, you fess UP and make it UP to him (or her).

To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special!  And this UP is confusing:  A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.  We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about the word UP!

To be UP on (it means to be knowledgeable about) the proper uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary.

In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more...

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, the earth soaks it UP. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP. 

So, are you UP on UP?

I could go on & on, but I'll wrap this UP for now because my time is UP!

Send this on to everyone you look UP in your address book.  

It's UP to you! Don't screw UP. 

Now I think I'll shut UP.

More fun with words: No Money to buy the Gas

Make Up 的几种用法

UP：一个举足轻重的短字（挑战答案）