kick up
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle up
Meanings
Cause a fuss or commotion
Why “up”? Something normal is disturbed. Feelings, systems, machines, or behavior become noisy, troubled, or out of control.
“She kicked up a fuss about the bill.”
“The decision kicked up a storm online.”
Don't confuse with
Kick up means cause a fuss or commotion. Kick in means begin to take effect.
Test yourself
“She kicked up a fuss about the bill.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
kick in
A contrast learners often mix up
Begin to take effect; Contribute money towards a shared cost; Break a door open with a kick
act up
Same up pattern: trouble
Behave badly or stop working properly
blow up
Same up pattern: trouble
Explode or be destroyed by an explosion; Inflate something by filling it with air; Suddenly become very angry; Enlarge a photograph or image; (of a storm or argument) develop quickly into something serious
cut up
Same up pattern: trouble
Cut something into smaller pieces; Make someone deeply upset or distressed; Behave in a wild or noisy way to attract attention; Overtake another driver suddenly and dangerously
dig up
Same up pattern: trouble
Remove something from the ground by digging; Discover information that was hidden or forgotten; Damage a surface by tearing into it; Mention or revive something embarrassing from the past
keep up
Same up pattern: trouble
Continue at the same level or rate; Move at the same speed as someone else; Stay informed about something current; Prevent someone from going to bed or sleeping; Prevent something from falling down; Maintain pretences, an appearance or a habit; Match the social or financial standard of others
mess up
Same up pattern: trouble
Spoil or do something badly
muddle up
Same up pattern: trouble
Confuse two or more things, often by mistaking one for the other
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