lock up

UK/ˌlɒk ˈʌp/US/ˌlɒk ˈʌp/

phraseB12 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To lock up is to secure a building — or to put somebody in prison. Same two words, very different weight.

The building sense is domestic and routine, and locking up is the last thing anybody does before leaving. The prison sense is heavy, and locking somebody up is what a court does. There are two useful nouns: a lock-up is a small garage or storeroom, and lock-up also means a police cell. Money can be locked up too, meaning tied up somewhere you cannot reach it.

Definitions of lock up

1phraselock upTo secure a building by locking its doors.B1
“Would you lock up when you leave?”
2phraseimprisonTo imprison someone.B2
“They will lock up anyone caught doing it twice.”

Where it comes from

From lock + up.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 37 of A Man Called Ove.

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