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Glite Dictionary
to hussy up

to hussy up

9.7
To hurry and get ready when you need to leave
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : apresurarse
  • I told the kids to hussy up and get into the car quickly.

Examples

  • She tried to hussy up after realizing the meeting had already started.

  • She hussied up for the big meeting.

  • I told the kids to hussy up and get into the car.

  • If you don't hussy up, we'll be late for the train.

  • He hussies up when he hears the alarm.

  • If you don't hussy up, we'll miss our flight.

  • She rushed to hussy up when she realized the bus was about to leave.

Synonyms

to hurry
vsto hussy up
∞ 1.0

To move or act quickly because there is little time

adds a sense of self preparation and readiness under urgency
to hurry up
vsto hussy up
  • Informal
637 1.0

To move or act more quickly to avoid being late

is about preparing oneself quickly with urgent readiness
to move it
vsto hussy up
  • Informal
512 6.7

To hurry so you do something faster, often to avoid being late

focuses more on getting oneself ready quickly rather than only urging others
to hustle
vsto hussy up
89 4.2

Move quickly and with energy, often because you are in a hurry

leans toward personal quick preparation motivated by urgent need
to get one's ass in gear
vsto hussy up
  • Offensive
2 9.9

Start working quickly and with more energy

expresses quick self preparation but without the vulgar motivational tone
to huckle up
vsto hussy up
  • Informal
9.9

Get ready to act with energy and strong focus

is similar but often stresses immediate hurry as a response to urgency
to ruck up
vsto hussy up
  • UK
9.4

To pack your things quickly to get ready to leave

covers the same quick preparation but more generally for urgent readiness
to hup
vsto hussy up
9.9

To move quickly after a shout or command

is more about self hurried preparation driven by urgency rather than a command

Antonyms

to linger
207 3.7

To stay in a place longer than expected because you do not want to leave

to dawdle
17 5.0

Move or act slowly and waste time, causing delay

How Fast

to rush
403 1.0
to dash
73 1.0
to hussy up
  • UK
9.7
to hurry
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

hussy up infinitive
hussied up past
hussied up past participle
hurrying up present participle
hussies up third person singular

Morphology

hussy + up

The sense 'to hurry or prepare quickly' is not derivable from the listed constituents: 'hussy' is either missing or denotes an unrelated concept (an immoral woman) and 'up' (given as 'not asleep') does not encode speed or preparation. The expression appears dialectal or etymologically irregular, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not reliably infer this meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

Hussy up may come from an informal change of hustle up or 'hurry up'; imagine someone quickly pulling on shoes and grabbing their coat to run out the door. That's why hussy up means 'to hurry' or 'get ready quickly'.