saddle up
B1 neutral separable both
In simple words
To get ready to ride a horse, or to get ready to start something.
Literal meaning: To put a saddle up onto a horse — mostly transparent.
Meanings
1 A2 neutral
To put a saddle on a horse in preparation for riding.
"The cowboy saddled up his horse before dawn and rode out to check the fences."
"Saddle up your horses."
— Alabama, 'Song of the South' (1988)
Grammar: separable
2 B1
idiomatic
informal
To prepare oneself or a group for a task, journey, or challenge; to get ready to start something.
"All right, team — saddle up! We've got a long day of presentations ahead of us."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
The literal sense belongs to equestrian and cowboy contexts. The figurative sense is informal and evokes Western or adventurous imagery. 'Saddle up!' is often used as a rallying call.
Commonly used with
horse mount ride journey team crew
Forms
Base
saddle up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
saddles up
he/she/it
Past simple
saddled up
yesterday
Past participle
saddled up
have + pp
-ing form
saddling up
continuous
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