key up
Britishverb
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(tr, adverb) to raise the intensity, excitement, tension, etc, of
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Make intense, excited, or nervous. For example, The excitement of the gallery opening has really keyed her up. This usage alludes to key in the sense of “wind up a spring-driven mechanism such as a clock.” [Late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Why she brought the key up to his room is the million dollar question.
From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2017
Kretchko put the No. 22 key up for sale after seeing the interest generated by the recent auction of a dress Monroe wore as she famously sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy.
From Washington Post • Nov. 28, 2016
The big drama is again with the critters: Will the mice Jaq and Gus will be able to lug a key up to the attic that imprisons Cinderella?
From Time • Mar. 13, 2015
To sing slower I had to raise the key up, which made it more fragile and vulnerable sounding.
From Chicago Tribune • Apr. 3, 2014
Did you move the key up a perfect fourth?
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.