to hitch up
3
4.4
- phrasal verb
- /hɪtʃ ʌp/
- Informal
:
subir
- He nervously hitched up his pants before stepping onto the stage to give his speech.
- hitch up their pants
- hitch up her skirt
- hitch up his trousers
Examples
-
I took off the heels and began to run back to the house, hitching up the tight skirt above my knees.
Fiction book (1993) -
EXT. Riepers' House/Back Garden - Morning CLOSE ON... Pauline Rieper's legs as she tries to hitch up her baggy stockings.
Fiction book (1994) -
Her skirt had gotten hitched up on one leg somehow.
Fiction book (1993) -
Lisa turned back to the car, stepping away from the sun, and hitched up her shorts.
Fiction book (1993) -
Mr. Carl hitched up his slacks, keeping his hands on his belt line.
Fiction book (2001) -
After a while, Earl stood, hitched up his jeans, and scuffed his boot in the dust.
Fiction book (1993) -
With one hand, I hitch up my shorts and cautiously check to make sure they haven't ripped out the back.
Fiction book (2001) -
His hair is tussled, and the sleeveless shirt he wears for sleep is wrinkled, hitched up over his small potbelly.
Fiction book (2000) -
Poor Skye-Phyllis lies all askew, her filmy nightdress hitched up halfway.
Fiction book (2000) -
As she prepared for the marathon, she hitched up her running shorts to prevent them from slipping.
Synonyms
834
1.0
To lift something or someone from the ground with your hands
553
1.0
To raise something higher by hand or with a machine
107
1.1
To raise someone or something to a higher place
79
4.7
To lift heavy things using ropes, pulleys, or a machine
21
2.5
To push someone up from below so they reach a higher place
11
2.1
Move something to a higher place by pushing from below or behind
7
2.1
To lift something or someone to a higher place
4
3.5
Pull a piece of clothing higher on your body
3
4.5
To lift something heavy with a lot of effort
1
6.1
To lift something with effort to see how heavy it is
Antonyms
How High
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to pull something upwards' is directly recoverable from combining 'hitch' (a short catch/jerk or quick fastening/movement) with 'up' (toward a higher position). This verb+particle composition is a common, productive English pattern and maps onto cross-linguistic ways of expressing lifting or adjusting clothing, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase hitch up comes from the simple action of giving something a quick pull. Hitch means a short pull and up shows the direction, so hitch up means 'to pull something upward', for example to lift trousers or a skirt so it sits higher.