Tidy Up - 英语词汇详解

Meaning 1：tidy up (Tidy Up)

Tidy Up 🔊

/ˈtaɪdi ʌp/

phr.v.

To make a place clean and organized by putting things away where they belong.

tidy up 🔊

➕

/ˈtaɪdi ʌp/

phr.v.

To clean and organize a space by putting items in their proper places.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'tīd' (time) meaning timely, later 'neat'. 'Up' adds completeness.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine a tide coming in to wash away clutter, leaving a clean shore – 'tidy up'.

📖 Example

Tidy up your room before our guests arrive this weekend. 🔊 Tidy up your room before our guests arrive this weekend.

🔗 Collocations

tidy up the room – to clean and organize the room

tidy up after dinner – to clean the kitchen and dining area after a meal

tidy up the mess – to clean up a disorderly area

🔄 Synonyms

clean up (phr.v.) – to remove dirt and clutter, making a place clean

straighten up (phr.v.) – to put things in order, making a place tidy

neaten (v.) – to make something neat and tidy

🚫 Antonyms

mess up (phr.v.) – to make a place untidy or disordered

disorganize (v.) – to disrupt the order of something

🌱 Derivatives

tidy (adj.) – clean and organized

tidiness (n.) – the state of being tidy

📖 Cultural Story

The phrase 'tidy up' became common in British English in the 19th century, reflecting Victorian values of orderliness. The idiom 'tidy house, tidy mind' emphasizes cleanliness as a mental benefit.