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Scrub up

Scrub up

Meaning

Make an effort to present oneself well dressed and smartly turned out.

Examples

I’d only ever seen Jim in jeans before. Now he’s in a suit and had a haircut I think he scrubs up really well.

Where did it originate?

Derived as an allusion to the intensive scrubbing that surgeons undertake to be especially clean for operations.

Where is it used?

Worldwide.

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About the Author

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
Scrub up

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