dredge up
To dig up something bad from the past — like an old argument or a dark secret — that people didn't want to think about again.
Meanings
To bring unpleasant or embarrassing information or memories to people's attention, especially after a long time.
"The tabloids dredged up every old scandal they could find before the election."
To recall or retrieve something from memory with great effort.
"She tried to dredge up her high school French for the conversation."
Strongly implies that the material being retrieved is unpleasant, embarrassing, or painful. The metaphor comes from dredging a river or harbour — dragging up what has sunk to the bottom. Often used in journalism and gossip contexts.
Commonly used with
Forms
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