curl up
Britishverb
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(intr) to adopt a reclining position with the legs close to the body and the back rounded
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to become or cause to become spiral-shaped or curved
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(intr) to retire to a quiet cosy setting
to curl up with a good novel
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informal to be or cause to be embarrassed or disgusted (esp in the phrase curl up and die )
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Assume a position with the legs drawn up; settle down for sleep in this posture. For example, I love to curl up with a good book . [c. 1900]
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curl up and die . Retreat, collapse, die, as in At first the horse was ahead but in the home stretch she curled up and died , or I'll just curl up and die if he shows up . This colorful expression for collapsing or dying is often used hyperbolically (second example). [Early 1900s]
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curl someone up . Kill someone, as in The sheriff said he'd curl up that outlaw . This usage originated as cowboy slang in the second half of the 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.
A big fat bunny was curled up in Daisy’s lap just as though he belonged there.
From Literature
Bruno faced me and glowered, but as soon as Frederick was asleep, he wrapped himself in his blanket and curled up by the fire.
From Literature
So a night curled up with her pets will have to do.
Home from their adventures—and with the picture book right side up again—the four children curl up by the fireplace with steaming mugs of hot cocoa.
She made a banana sandwich and curled up on the rock between Selkie and Fred to read the last chapter of her book.
From Literature
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.
