Nearby Words

psych up

[sahyk] Origin

psych

1[sahyk]
verb (used with object) Informal.
1.
to intimidate or frighten psychologically, or make nervous (often followed by out): to psych out the competition.
2.
to prepare psychologically to be in the right frame of mind or to give one's best (often followed by up): to psych oneself up for an interview.
3.
to figure out psychologically; decipher (often followed by out): to psych out a problem.
Also, psyche.


Origin:
1915–20 in earlier sense “to subject to psychoanalysis”; originally a shortening of psychoanalyze; in later use (especially in defs. 1 and 2) perhaps independent use of psych-
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Psych up is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
Collins
World English Dictionary
psych up
 
vb
informal (tr, adverb) to get (oneself or another) into a state of psychological readiness for an action, performance, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

psych
short for psychology in various senses; as an academic study, in student slang by 1895. The verb is generally negative when used transitively, positive when intransitive; first attested (also psych out) 1934 as "to outsmart," from 1963 as "to unnerve." However to psych (oneself) up is from 1972; to be
EXPAND
psyched up is attested from 1968.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

psych (so) up definition


  1. tv.
    to get someone excited or mentally prepared for something. (See also psyched (up).) : I psyched myself up to sing in front of all those people.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

psych up

Excite emotionally, as in The chorus was really psyched up for performing in Symphony Hall. [Slang; c. 1970]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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