1
general::
Phrase(s): shore someone up
Fig. to (figuratively) prop up or support someone. • Mary’s solid character and personality helped shore her up during her recent problems with the law. • Everyone co-operated to shore up John when his mother died., Phrase(s): shore something up
to prop up or support something. • The fence fell over, so we shored it up with more posts. • The storm weakened the foundation of our house, and we had to have workers shore up the house.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Support, prop, as in The new law was designed to shore up banks in danger of failure. This expression derives from the noun shore, meaning "prop," a beam or timber propped against a structure to provide support. The verb shore dates from 1340 and was first recorded in a figurative context in 1581.
American Heritage Idioms