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scare up

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scare someone or something up

Rur. to search for and find someone or something. Go out in the kitchen and scare some food up. I'll see if I can scare up somebody to fix the broken chair.

See also: scare, up

scare up something

to find or obtain something that is not easily available At the very least, I'm sure he'll have some original ideas on how to scare up some cash. We discovered it was impossible to scare up an audience for the game. Related vocabulary: scrape together something

See also: scare, up

scare up

Also, scrape together or up . Assemble or produce with considerable effort, as in We managed to scare up extra chairs for the unexpectedly large audience, or He managed to scrape together enough cash to buy two more tickets. The first term alludes to scare in the sense of "flush game out of cover" and dates from the mid-1800s; the variant, alluding to scratching or clawing for something, was first recorded in 1549. Also see scrape up an acquaintance.

See also: scare, up

scare up

v.

To gather or prepare something with a lot of effort or ingenuity: They managed to scare up some folding chairs for the unexpected crowd. I'll go in the kitchen and try to scare something up from among the leftovers.

See also: scare, up