What's up with the word UP?

[Saltie]

Lovers of the English language might enjoy this. It is yet another example of why people learning English have trouble with the language.  Learning the nuances of English makes it a difficult language. (But then, that's probably true of many languages.)   There is a two-letter word in English that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is 'UP.'  It is listed in the dictionary as being used as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].
It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken 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 UPfor election and why is itI> 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 UPthe kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.

At other times the little word has a real special meaning. People stir UP  trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.&bsp;
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 mixedUP about UP !
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP , look 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 takeUP 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 does not rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on & on, but I'll wrap it UP , for now  ........my time is UP , so time to shutUP!
Oh...one more thing: What is the first thing you do in the morning & the last thing you do at night?      U   P

[ozzieowl]

That is great!!!! a delight to read thanks,

oh, and of course the answer to the question right down at the end,

must be tying UP ya pantz in the mornin'

and then loosening UP ya pantz at night - surely.....

[Trish]

I once read somewhat of the same thing about the word "SLIP". Though not two letters, it can be used in many ways. We must be careful not to "SLIP UP". ;-)))

[Teddy]

Ok here is a challenge we are looked upon as down under Australia & new Zealand so can anybody tell me which is up it shows on most maps as the northern hemisphere is at the top but you go out in space either part of the world could be at the top so my question which way is up

[Saltie]

That's up to you Teddy.