1
general::
Phrase(s): lock someone or something up (somewhere)
to lock someone or something within something or some place. • The captain ordered the sailor locked up in the brig until the ship got into port. • Don’t lock me up! • The sheriff locked up the crook in a cell.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
1. Close a house or place of work, fastening all the doors and windows, as in The attendant locks up at eleven o'clock every night, or Did you remind Abby to lock up? [Late 1500s] 2. Invest in something not easily converted into cash, as in Most of their assets were locked up in real estate. [Late 1600s] 3. lock someone up. Confine or imprison someone, as in The princes were locked up in the Tower of London. [c. 1300]
American Heritage Idioms