1
general::
Phrase(s): charge someone up
to excite someone; to make a person enthusiastic about something. (See also charged up.) • The speaker charged up the crowd. • He reread the report, hoping to charge himself up enough to make some positive comments., Phrase(s): charge something up
1. Lit. to apply an electrical charge to a battery. • How long will it take to charge this battery up? • It takes an hour to charge up your battery. 2. Lit. to load or fill something under pressure or with special contents, such as a fire extinguisher. • We had to send the extinguishers back to the factory, where they charged them up. • How much does it cost to charge up an extinguisher? 3. Fig. to reinvigorate something. • What can we do to charge this story up? • A murder in the first act would charge up the play. 4. Go to charge something up to someone or something and charge something up.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Excite, agitate, stimulate, as in The new preacher can really charge up the congregation, or Planning Beth's wedding got her mom all charged up. This term originally was used for narcotic stimulation but now is used more broadly. [Slang; early 1900s]
American Heritage Idioms