nut up
C1 slang intransitive
In simple words
To be brave and stop being a coward — just do the hard thing.
Literal meaning: Vulgar allusion to male anatomy used metaphorically to mean 'show courage'.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
slang
To force oneself to be brave or tough enough to deal with a difficult or frightening situation.
"You've been nervous about this presentation for weeks — just nut up and go do it."
""Nut up or shut up.""
— Zombieland (film, 2009) — recurring line spoken by Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson)
2 C1
idiomatic
slang
To commit fully to something demanding rather than backing down.
"If you want to be a professional athlete, you need to nut up and train twice as hard."
Usage notes
Crude, masculine-coded American slang. Often used as a blunt command or self-encouragement. Associated with the phrase 'nut up or shut up'. Not appropriate in formal contexts.
Commonly used with
or shut up already and do it time to just
Forms
Base
nut up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
nuts up
he/she/it
Past simple
nuted up
yesterday
Past participle
nuted up
have + pp
-ing form
nuting up
continuous
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