work-up

[ wurk-uhp ]

noun

, Printing.

1. an undesirable deposit of ink on a surface being printed, caused by the forcing into type-high position of quads or other spacing material.

work up

verb

1. to arouse the feelings of; excite
2. to cause to grow or develop

   to work up a hunger

3. also preposition to move or cause to move gradually upwards
4. to manipulate or mix into a specified object or shape
5. to gain knowledge of or skill at (a subject)

Word History and Origins

Origin of work-up¹

Noun use of verb phrase work up

Example Sentences

For that matter, how could he work up the nerve to make a promise to safety Derwin James Jr. before taking the field for that drive?

From Los Angeles Times

So, he gets all worked up about it,” Trunk adds.

From Los Angeles Times

Scotland actually handled the infamous 'Bomb Squad' well, as the seven forwards on the South African bench came on earlier than expected, almost testament to the hosts' work up front.

From BBC

My mother could get worked up about a lot of things, but cooking or baking, regardless of how much she was doing at once, never phased her.

From Salon

"In Wales we've worked up over the last five years £2-3bn in very good business cases for rail investment, and the challenge is how is that going to get funded?"

From BBC

Related Words

• agitate
• animate
• excite
• get up
• inflame
• rouse