knifing up

Verb

knife up (third-person singular simple present knifes up, present participle knifing up, simple past and past participle knifed up)

1. (dated) To trim the edges on a boot or shoe of bits of leather, etc. that may be attached to the sides.
   • For instance, does he suppose that the edges of samples are set only twice, the same as on regular goods, or that they are not knifed up here and there by the foreman of the making room, or that the bottom finish is not given more attention than the stock shoes?1901 September 25, “Random Notes”, in Boot and Shoe Recorder, volume 39, number 26, page 53
2. (broadly) To trim with a knife.
   • The following mishap and its repair, I think, end to show marine engineers aboard tramp steamers the value of taking care of what appeared at the time to be useless articles; for it proved to me the advantage of having retained from the junk dealer an old windlass stop valve which had been knifed...1911 January, “Making Use of Odds and Ends”, in International Marine Engineering, volume 16, page 36
3. To extract a morsel or dab (of something) with a knife.
   • He knifed up a morsel, wandered on, chewing happily.1959, Margaret Alison Johansen, Voyagers West, page 67
4. To cut up or carve up with a knife.
   • Elkins had knifed up Hines pretty good before running out.2012, Lee Collins, The Dead of Winter
5. (figuratively) To slice through; to cut or traverse a path through or between.
   • Nosegay loafed along at five knots as it knifed up the yacht basin, passing the line of marinas that laced the inner shore of Shelter Island.2005, John McPeek, Loma View
6. (figuratively) To penetrate sharply upward.
   • He leaped almost into the teeth of the blue-tinged ray which knifed up with uncanny accuracy from the slit in the roof of the hut.2011, Anthony Gilmore, Raiders Invisible

See all 10 meanings of knife up