het up
B2 informal inseparable intransitive
In simple words
Very worked up, angry, or worried about something — often more than you need to be.
Literal meaning: Heated up — raised in temperature (emotional heat).
Meanings
1 B2
idiomatic
informal
In an agitated, excited, or angry state, often over something relatively minor.
"There's no need to get so het up — it's just a small change to the plan."
"Don't get het up about it."
— Widely attested in British colloquial speech and journalism (e.g., The Guardian, various editions)
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Used predicatively ('get het up', 'all het up'). More common in British and older American English. Slightly dated but still widely understood. The form 'all het up' is a common fixed expression. 'Het' is a dialectal past participle of 'heat'.
Commonly used with
all get don't nothing fuss situation
Forms
Base
het up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
hets up
he/she/it
Past simple
heted up
yesterday
Past participle
heted up
have + pp
-ing form
heting up
continuous
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