buck up

1. idiomaticCheer up; take courage; take heart.
2. datedidiomaticHurry up; make haste.

present singular third person bucks up · participle present bucking up · participle past bucked up · past bucked up

1. idiomaticintransitiveTo become encouraged, reinvigorated, or cheerful; to summon one's courage or spirits; to pluck up courage.

   I realized I needed to buck up and tackle the problem head-on.

2. idiomatictransitiveTo encourage; to hearten.

   I knew I had to try and buck up the rest of my team as well.

3. idiomaticintransitiveTo do better.

   You better buck up or you'll never make it.

4. datedidiomaticintransitiveTo dress oneself up smartly; compare (obsolete) buck ("a fop, dandy")First known use c. 1900-1920
5. colloquialidiomatictransitiveTo pass on to higher authority for resolution. See also pass the buck.

   He just bucked everything risky up to management.

   2 more examples

   He started bucking up everything to management when he didn't get a raise.

   Instead of dealing with the customer's complaint himself, he just bucked it up to his boss.

6. obsoleteTo hurry up.

   'Now' said Cameron, 'we must buck up; it's getting late. Now about the child, Boshy: she must come with us, you see.'

   1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), published 1980, page 141

7. idiomaticslangtransitiveAfrican-American VernacularTo hit or fight (someone).