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hair up

C1 informal inseparable intransitive
In simple words

For your body hair to stand up straight because you are cold, scared, or excited.

Literal meaning: For hairs to rise upward, as in piloerection caused by cold or fear.

Meanings

1 C1 idiomatic informal

For body hair to stand erect involuntarily due to fear, cold, or strong emotion.

"The strange sound in the dark made the hair up on the back of his neck."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Relatively rare as a fixed phrasal verb. The more standard expression is 'one's hair stands on end' or 'get goosebumps'. Can also refer literally to putting hair up (styling), though that usage is better captured as a simple verb phrase. Used in British and North American English.

Commonly used with

neck arms skin spine fear chill

Forms

Base
hair up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
hairs up
he/she/it
Past simple
haired up
yesterday
Past participle
haired up
have + pp
-ing form
hairing up
continuous

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