Synonym Game

up for grabs

[grab] Origin

grab

1[grab] verb, grabbed, grab·bing, noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to seize suddenly or quickly; snatch; clutch: He grabbed me by the collar.
2.
to take illegal possession of; seize forcibly or unscrupulously: to grab land.
3.
to obtain and consume quickly: Let's grab a sandwich before going to the movie.
4.
Slang.
a.
to cause a reaction in; affect: How does my idea grab you?
b.
to arouse the interest or excitement of: The book was O.K., but it just didn't grab me.
verb (used without object)
5.
to make a grasping or clutching motion (usually followed by at): He grabbed frantically at the life preserver.
6.
(of brakes, a clutch, etc.) to take hold suddenly or with a jolting motion; bind.

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Up for grabs is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
noun
7.
a sudden, quick grasp or snatch: to make a grab at something.
8.
seizure or acquisition by violent or unscrupulous means.
9.
something that is grabbed.
10.
a mechanical device for gripping objects.
11.
the capacity to hold or adhere: The glue was so old it had lost its grab.
12.
up for grabs, Informal. available to anyone willing to expend the energy to get it: The Republican nomination for mayor was up for grabs.

Origin:
1580–90; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German grabben, Swedish grabba

grab·ba·ble, adjective
un·grab·bing, adjective


1. grasp, grip, catch.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

grab
1589, from M.Du. or M.L.G. grabben "to grab," from P.Gmc. *grab (cf. O.H.G. garba "sheaf," lit. "that which is gathered up together"), from PIE *gherebh- "to seize" (cf. Skt. grbhnati "seizes," O.Pers. grab- "seize" as possession or prisoner, O.C.S. grabiti "to seize, rob," Lith. grebiu "to rake"). First
EXPAND
record of grab-bag "miscellaneous mixture" is 1855, originally a carnival game.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

up for grabs definition


  1. mod.
    available for anyone; not yet claimed. : I don't know who will get it. It's up for grabs.
  2. mod.
    in total chaos. : When the market crashed, the whole office was up for grabs.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

up for grabs

Available to anyone, as in Now that he's resigned, his job is up for grabs. This term alludes to something being thrown in the air for anyone to grasp or catch. [Colloquial; 1920s]

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