http://data.grammarbook.com/blog/?p=37
"What's UP
There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings
than any other two-letter word,
and that is "UP."
It's easy to understand UP,
meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list,
but when we waken in the morning, why do we wake UP?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP?
Why do we speak UP
and why are the officers UP for election
and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?
We call UP our friends
And we use it to brighten UP a room,
polish UP the silver,
we warm UP the leftovers
and clean UP the kitchen.
We lock UP the house
and some guys fix UP the old car.
At other times the little word has real special meaning:
People stir UP trouble,
line UP for tickets,
work UP an appetite,
and think UP excuses.
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 UP!
To be knowledgeable of the proper uses of UP,
look UP the word in the dictionary.
In a desk size dictionary, the word up,
takes UP almost 1/4th the page and
definitions add UP to about thirty.
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, it wets UP the earth.
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP,
for now my time is UP, so
I'll shut UP....!
Received by email from Gloria Grumney 2004-12-01;
I'm not sure of the origin. "
