picker-upper

[ pik-er-uhp-er ]

noun

, Informal.

1. something that restores one's depleted energy or depressed spirits; pick-me-up.

Word History and Origins

Origin of picker-upper¹

1935–40; pick up + -er ¹, joined pleonastically to both v. and particle

Example Sentences

“My deeply personal hell,” is how parent and picker-upper Misty Heggeness put it in 2022.

From Slate

From washing dishes to wiping down countertops and tables, sponges come in handy as a quick picker-upper.

From Seattle Times

Every time I reached for a quicker picker-upper to wipe off the highchair or my child’s sticky hand, I told myself I’d make it up somehow on the back end of my years in the parenting trenches.

From Slate

Our new Syrup of Hypophosphates is a fine picker-upper.

From Seattle Times

I take with me two trash bags, two disposable gloves and the newest addition to my equipment: a trash picker-upper made from recycled plastic fishing nets purchased through Sea Shepherds.

From Washington Post