to knock up

2 definitions found

to knock up - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Knock \Knock\ (n[o^]k), v. t.
     1. To strike with something hard or heavy; to move by
        striking; to drive (a thing) against something; as, to
        knock a ball with a bat; to knock the head against a post;
        to knock a lamp off the table.
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              When heroes knock their knotty heads together.
                                                    --Rowe.
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     2. To strike for admittance; to rap upon, as a door.
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              Master, knock the door hard.          --Shak.
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     3. To impress strongly or forcibly; to astonish; to move to
        admiration or applause. [Slang, Eng.]
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
  
     4. To criticise; to find fault with; to disparage. "Don't
        knock it if you haven't tried it."
        [PJC]
  
     To knock in the head, or To knock on the head, to stun or
        kill by a blow upon the head; hence, to put am end to; to
        defeat, as a scheme or project; to frustrate; to quash.
        [Colloq.] -- To knock off.
        (a) To force off by a blow or by beating.
        (b) To assign to a bidder at an auction, by a blow on the
            counter.
        (c) To leave off (work, etc.). [Colloq.] -- To knock out
     , to force out by a blow or by blows; as, to knock out
        the brains.
  
     To knock up.
        (a) To arouse by knocking.
        (b) To beat or tire out; to fatigue till unable to do
            more; as, the men were entirely knocked up. [Colloq.]
            "The day being exceedingly hot, the want of food had
            knocked up my followers." --Petherick.
        (c) (Bookbinding) To make even at the edges, or to shape
            into book form, as printed sheets.
        (d) To make pregnant. Often used in passive, "she got
            knocked up". [vulgar]

  Knock \Knock\ (n[o^]k), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Knocked (n[o^]kt);
     p. pr. & vb. n. Knocking.] [OE. knoken, AS. cnocian,
     cnucian; prob. of imitative origin; cf. Sw. knacka. Cf.
     Knack.]
     1. To drive or be driven against something; to strike against
        something; to clash; as, one heavy body knocks against
        another. --Bacon.
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     2. To strike or beat with something hard or heavy; to rap;
        as, to knock with a club; to knock on the door.
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              For harbor at a thousand doors they knocked.
                                                    --Dryden.
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              Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
              opened unto you.                      --Matt. vii.
                                                    7.
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     3. To practice evil speaking or fault-finding; to criticize
        habitually or captiously. [Slang, U. S.]
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
  
     To knock about, to go about, taking knocks or rough usage;
        to wander about; to saunter. [Colloq.] "Knocking about
        town." --W. Irving.
  
     To knock up, to fail of strength; to become wearied or worn
        out, as with labor; to give out. "The horses were
        beginning to knock up under the fatigue of such severe
        service." --De Quincey.
  
     To knock off, to cease, as from work; to desist.
  
     To knock under, to yield; to submit; to acknowledge one's
        self conquered; -- an expression probably borrowed from
        the practice of knocking under the table with the
        knuckles, when conquered. "Colonel Esmond knocked under to
        his fate." --Thackeray.
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