to patch up
20
3.4
- phrasal verb
- /pæʧ ʌp/
:
remendar
- I need to patch up the hole in my shirt before the party.
- patch up the hole
- patch up your wound
- patching things up
But when I find it, I'll patch up where it's been blown.
- But when I find it, I'll patch up where it's been blown.
- And we could have picked so many other things, you know, a piece of, of clothing that sooner or later patched up is going to wear out.
- So then they're patching up those, you know, the big holes on the side of my leg with the skin from my thigh.
- And I just got blessed like my home girl came, she patched me up, got me out of there, got the gun out of there, got the car towed.
Examples
-
The infirmary will patch those up.
-
I just patched the poor thing up.
-
I used the rest of the money to patch up the place.
Fiction book (1995) -
Look, all I can do is patch up the ceiling.
-
Buddy, we'll get you patched up in no time.
-
We haven't got time to patch it up any further.
Fiction book (1991) -
I'll just call Lonnie and we'll patch up the wall...
-
The screen windows were patched up with newspapers and packing tape.
Fiction book (1999) -
I want to repaint all of the cupboards and patch up all these weird holes.
-
The parachutists turned and looked at our rickety old weatherboard house with the patched-up windows and the lopsided sign saying "Jarvis Camel Safaris."
Fiction book (2001)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To repair something so it works again
151
2.5
To repair a hole or damaged area by adding a piece of material
71
2.1
To try to make a damaged relationship or reputation better
6
3.9
To sew a hole or loose edge to make clothing whole again
1
4.1
To sew a seam again to fix it when it comes apart
1
4.8
To fix something that is torn or broken
Antonyms
How Repaired
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'patch' (to repair) together with 'up' (indicating completion or improvement) transparently suggests the idea of repairing or restoring something, so a learner who knows both words can plausibly infer a meaning related to mending. However, the application of physical repair to a social relationship is a metaphorical extension rather than literal composition, so the exact interpersonal sense may not be fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Patch up comes from mending clothes or other things: you put a small patch over a hole and sew it to close the damage. That's why patch up means 'to repair' or 'fix' something.