hen up
C1 informal inseparable intransitive
In simple words
To get nervous and flustered, like a startled hen.
Literal meaning: To behave like a startled hen, flapping about in a panic.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
informal
To become nervous, agitated, or flustered, losing one's calm composure.
"Don't hen up over a little public speaking — just take a deep breath and start."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Dialectal and dated, mainly found in older American regional speech. Rarely used in contemporary English. Compare with 'het up'. The image is of a hen fluttering and clucking in alarm.
Commonly used with
nervous flustered agitated crowd situation
Forms
Base
hen up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
hens up
he/she/it
Past simple
hened up
yesterday
Past participle
hened up
have + pp
-ing form
hening up
continuous
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