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curl up
curl something up
to roll something up into a coil. She curled the edges of the paper up while she spoke. Why did she curl up the paper?
curl up (in(to) something
) 1. to roll into a coil. The snake curled up into a neat coil. It curled up so we couldn't get at it.
2. [for one] to bend one's body into a resting place, such as a chair or a bed. Colleen curled up in the chair and took a nap. She curled up and took a nap.
curl up
1. Assume a position with the legs drawn up; settle down for sleep in this posture. For example, I love to curl up with a good book. [c. 1900]
2. curl up and die. Retreat, collapse, die, as in At first the horse was ahead but in the home stretch she curled up and died, or I'll just curl up and die if he shows up. This colorful expression for collapsing or dying is often used hyperbolically (second example). [Early 1900s]
3. curl someone up. Kill someone, as in The sheriff said he'd curl up that outlaw. This usage originated as cowboy slang in the second half of the 1800s.
curl up
v.1. To twist, bend, or roll something into a curved or spiral form: She curled up the poster and slipped it into a tube. He waxed the ends of his moustache and curled them up.
2. To assume a curved or spiral form: The pages of the book had curled up at the edges.
3. To assume a position with the legs drawn up: I curled up in an armchair to read a book.