shape-up
or shape·up
[ sheyp-uhp ]
/ ˈʃeɪpˌʌp /
noun
an act or instance of shaping up.
a former method of hiring longshoremen in which the applicants appeared daily at the docks and a union hiring boss chose those who would be given work.
Origin of shape-up
First recorded in 1940–45; noun use of verb phrase
shape up
Words nearby shape-up
shaoyang,
shape,
shape note,
shape up,
shape-note singing,
shape-up,
shaped,
shaped charge,
shapeless,
shapely,
shapen
Definition for shape up (2 of 2)
Origin of shape
before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English
gesceapu (plural); replacing dial.
shap, Middle English; Old English
gesceap (singular); cognate with Old Norse
skap state, mood; (v.) Middle English; Old English
sceapen (past participle); replacing Middle English
sheppe, shippe, Old English
sceppan,
scyppan; cognate with German
schaffen, Old Norse
skepja, Gothic
-skapjan to make
SYNONYMS FOR shape
4 specter, illusion.
7 order, pattern.
8 order, situation.
14 mold, model.
OTHER WORDS FROM shape
British Dictionary definitions for shape up (1 of 3)
shape up
verb (intr, adverb)
informal
to proceed or develop satisfactorily
informal
to develop a definite or proper form
noun shapeup
US and Canadian
(formerly) a method of hiring dockers for a day or shift by having a union hiring boss select them from a gathering of applicants
British Dictionary definitions for shape up (2 of 3)
shape
/ (ʃeɪp) /
noun
verb
Derived forms of shape
shapable or shapeable, adjective shaper, nounWord Origin for shape
Old English
gesceap, literally: that which is created, from
scieppan to create; related to
sceap sexual organs, Old Norse
skap destiny, Old High German
scaf form
British Dictionary definitions for shape up (3 of 3)
SHAPE
/ (ʃeɪp) /
n acronym for
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Idioms and Phrases with shape up (1 of 2)
shape up
Turn out, develop; see take shape.
Improve so as to meet a standard, as in The coach told the team that they'd better shape up or they'd be at the bottom of the league. This usage was first recorded in 1938.
shape up or ship out Behave yourself or be forced to leave, as in The new supervisor told Tom he'd have to shape up or ship out. This expression originated in the 1940s, during World War II, as a threat that if one didn't behave in an appropriate military manner one would be sent overseas to a combat zone. After the war it was transferred to other situations calling for improved performance.
Idioms and Phrases with shape up (2 of 2)
shape