buck up

Interjection

1. (idiomatic) Cheer up; take courage; take heart.
2. (dated, idiomatic) Hurry up; make haste.

Verb

buck up (third-person singular simple present bucks up, present participle bucking up, simple past and past participle bucked up)

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To become encouraged, reinvigorated, or cheerful; to summon one's courage or spirits; to pluck up courage.
   • I realized I needed to buck up and tackle the problem head-on.
2. (idiomatic, transitive) To encourage; to hearten.
   • I knew I had to try and buck up the rest of my team as well.
3. (idiomatic, intransitive) To do better.
   • You better buck up or you'll never make it.
4. (dated, idiomatic, intransitive) To dress oneself up smartly; compare (obsolete) buck ("a fop, dandy")
5. (colloquial, idiomatic, transitive) To pass on to higher authority for resolution. See also pass the buck.
   • He started bucking up everything to management when he didn't get a raise.
   • He just bucked everything risky up to management.
6. (obsolete) To hurry up.
   • 'Now' said Cameron, 'we must buck up; it's getting late. Now about the child, Boshy: she must come with us, you see.'1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), published 1980, page 141
7. (idiomatic, slang, transitive, African-American Vernacular) To hit or fight (someone).