scare up

Idioms and Phrases

Also, scrape together or up . Assemble or produce with considerable effort, as in We managed to scare up extra chairs for the unexpectedly large audience , or He managed to scrape together enough cash to buy two more tickets . The first term alludes to scare in the sense of “flush game out of cover” and dates from the mid-1800s; the variant, alluding to scratching or clawing for something, was first recorded in 1549. Also see scrape up an acquaintance .

Example Sentences

The words are the religious broadcaster Pat Robertson’s descriptions of Mapplethorpe’s work, which he wrote to scare up donations for his Christian Coalition during this moment of gay panic.

From New York Times

If all of a sudden Twitter isn’t just Twitter, but X, the future state of interconnectivity or whatever, maybe he can scare up enough cash to keep the lights on.

From Los Angeles Times

Ms Sturgeon was a useful bogeyman both for the Scottish party to scare up unionist voters, but also for the UK-wide operation to portray as a potential puppet master pulling the strings of a Sir Keir Starmer government.

From BBC

The next time someone calls Georgia’s Brad Raffensperger and asks him to kindly scare up 11,000 votes, or to submit a ballot of “contingent electors” it could happen with the blessing of a federal court and a tidy case citation.

From Slate

After an initial shock, Josh is thrilled to discover Lyle, who has been stowing away in the attic listening to an iPod while Hector is out hitting the boards trying to scare up some cash, and the two bond over several bouts of dumpster diving.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• acquire
• bring in
• collect
• derive
• draw
• gain
• get
• make
• obtain
• pick up
• realize
• reap
• receive
• score
• secure
• win