fix-up
[ fiks-uhp ]
/ ˈfɪksˌʌp /
noun
repair; improvement: fix-ups that will make the house more salable.
Origin of fix-up
1825–35,
Americanism; noun use of verb phrase
fix up
Words nearby fix-up
fives,
fix,
fix someone's wagon,
fix up,
fix-it,
fix-up,
fixate,
fixation,
fixation nystagmus,
fixation point,
fixative
Definition for fix up (2 of 2)
Origin of fix
1350–1400; 1900–05
for def 29; 1935–40
for def 31; Middle English
fixen (v.) < Medieval Latin
fixāre, derivative of Latin
fixus fixed, past participle of
fīgere to fasten
SYNONYMS FOR fix
3, 4
fasten,
secure,
stabilize.
Fix,
establish imply making firm or permanent. To
fix is to fasten in position securely or to make more or less permanent against change, especially something already existing:
to fix a bayonet on a gun; fix a principle in one's mind. To
establish is to make firm or permanent something (usually newly) originated, created, or ordained:
to establish a business, a claim to property.
5 establish, define.
27 dilemma, plight, quandary.
usage note for fix
Fix meaning “to repair” appears to have been used first in America, but it is long established and has been used in England since the early 19th century:
The engineer quickly fixed the faulty valve. The verb use is fully standard in all varieties of speech and writing, and objections to it on the grounds of style merely reflect personal prejudice, not the practice of educated speakers and writers. The noun
fix meaning “repair, adjustment” is informal.
Fix ( to ) meaning “to prepare, plan (to)” is another Americanism: We're fixing to go to town. It once occurred in all the eastern coastal states, but it is now chiefly an informal spoken form in the South Midland and South.
Fix ( to ) meaning “to prepare, plan (to)” is another Americanism: We're fixing to go to town. It once occurred in all the eastern coastal states, but it is now chiefly an informal spoken form in the South Midland and South.
OTHER WORDS FROM fix
British Dictionary definitions for fix up (1 of 2)
fix up
verb (tr, adverb)
to arrange
let's fix up a date
(often foll by with)
to provide
I'm sure we can fix you up with a room
informal
to repair or rearrange
to fix up one's house
British Dictionary definitions for fix up (2 of 2)
fix
/ (fɪks) /
verb (mainly tr)
noun
See also
fix up
Derived forms of fix
fixable, adjectiveWord Origin for fix
C15: from Medieval Latin
fixāre, from Latin
fixus fixed, from Latin
fīgere
Scientific definitions for fix up
fix
[ fĭks ]
To convert inorganic carbon or nitrogen into stable, organic compounds that can be assimilated into organisms. Photosynthetic organisms such as green plants fix carbon in carbohydrates as food; certain bacteria fix nitrogen as ammonia that can be absorbed directly or through nitrification by plant roots. See more at carbon fixation nitrogen fixation.
To convert a substance, especially a gas, into solid or liquid form by chemical reactions.
To kill and preserve a tissue specimen rapidly to retain as nearly as possible the characteristics it had in the living body.
Idioms and Phrases with fix up (1 of 2)
fix up
Repair, refurbish, or renew. For example, They're busy fixing up their house, or We fixed ourselves up before we ventured outside. [Late 1700s]
fix someone up. Provide or furnish someone with something, as in He can fix you up with a new car, or Can you fix up my friend with a date for the dance? [Colloquial; c. 1930]
Smooth over or settle, as in You'd think they could fix up these small differences. [Late 1800s]
Idioms and Phrases with fix up (2 of 2)
fix