Dictionaries are often no help to the non native English speakers. The shorter the word in the number of letters the more definitions. ' UP' has some 47 definitions in my dictionary. 'IN' has 21. 'ON' has 25. 'AT' has 13. 'OF' has 21. 'TO' has 21. 'BY' has 15.

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is ' UP.'

It's easy to understand UP. meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.