oggbashan
Dying Truth seeker
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2002
- Posts
- 56,017
Good day, wordlovers. This one caught my attention;
pull up - vt 1. CHECK, REBUKE 2. to bring to a stop: HALT ~ vi 1.a. to check oneself b. to come to a halt: STOP 2. to draw even with others in a race
I don't think I have seen the first definition used before. Does anyone know of any examples of pull up used for checking oneself?
Yes. It was frequently used in my youth, but not now, for example by teachers - to pull up a student for doing something dangerous, unacceptable or just stupid. The idea is to get someone to think of the consequences of an action they are about to commit. I believe that its origin is from driving a carriage - to pull up the horse to bring it to a stop.
My New Oxford English Dictionary has:
pull someone up: cause someone to stop or pause; check someone: 'the shock of his words pulled her up short'; reprimand someone.
I understood that 'to pull someone up' was more preventative than disciplinary; to warn that an action or behaviour was not to continue. In many cases a raised eyebrow or a wagging finger was enough 'to pull someone up'.