wash up
Clean the plates and cups after eating (British), or wash your hands and face (American), or be found on a beach after floating in.
Meanings
(British English) To wash the dishes, pots, and pans after a meal.
"Whose turn is it to wash up tonight?"
(American English) To wash one's hands and face, typically before eating.
"Go wash up before dinner, kids!"
For an object, body, or debris to be carried by water and deposited on a shore or riverbank.
"A large amount of plastic waste had washed up on the beach overnight."
(Informal, adjective: washed-up) Describing a person whose career or success is over; finished.
"After the scandal, the critics declared him a washed-up actor."
IMPORTANT regional difference: in British English, 'wash up' = wash the dishes. In American English, 'wash up' = wash one's hands/face before a meal. This is a very common source of confusion. The 'washed up' adjective meaning a failed or finished career (a washed-up actor) is also very widely used.
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Synonyms
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