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Phrase Meanings » eat up
What does "eat up" mean?
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Consume completely, as in No television until you eat up your dinner, or This quarter's expenses have eaten up all my spare cash. The literal use (first example) dates from the early 1500s, the figurative from the early 1600s.
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Enjoy avidly, as in She simply eats up the publicity. [Late 1800s]
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Believe unquestioningly, be gullible, as in He'll eat up whatever the broker tells him. [Slang; early 1900s]
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Defeat completely, as in This new fighter just eats up every opponent. [Slang; c. 1830]
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See eat out, def. 2.
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