gen up

English

Etymology

From gen, meaning information.

Verb

gen up (third-person singular simple present gens up, present participle genning up, simple past and past participle genned up)

1. (UK, intransitive, informal) To study in detail; to familiarize oneself with all available information.
   • 2005, Gervase Phinn, Up and Down in the Dales, →ISBN:

     I find the doctors are very surprised when they realise I'm genned up about my condition.

   • 2011, Frank Key, Porpoises Rescue Dick Van Dyke, page 19:

     So the heroic infant was able to gen up on all she needed to know about the making of bathtub gin by consulting a selection of large and impressive volumes in the reference section.

   • 2011, John Burnside, Waking Up in Toytown, →ISBN, page 40:

     With a new EO to train and supervise, his workload was bound to increase, so he put in for overtime and spent his Sundays in the office, alone and undisturbed, so he could gen up on League Cup winners and current affairs.

   • 2012, A.J. Walton, Lectures, Tutorials and the Like, →ISBN, page 8:

     Unless you are better genned up than Einstein was, the class will seeth with the rumour that you are not his equal, and you and your pions will be quickly discounted.

   • 2012, Wendy Robertson, Family Ties, →ISBN:

     In any case, I need to be genned up for this research.

2. (UK, transitive, informal) To inform or teach with all relevant details; to brief.
   • 2007, Desmond FitzGerald, Many Parts, →ISBN, page 160:

     It was also new to be listening to talk of bribery and corruption in high places, and Michael Murray saw it as his duty to gen me up on this.

   • 2009, Goronwy Edwards, Flying to Norway, Grounded in Burma, →ISBN, page 50:

     I offered him a deal where he was to gen me up on aerobatics in return for the kudos Of being one Of the first two squadron pilots to aerobat an Anson.

   • 2013, D.M. Samson, Ausländer, →ISBN, page 95:

     She genned him up on all manner of trivialities.

Usage notes

Usually, but not exclusively, followed by the preposition on, indicating the topic that one is studying.

Translations

Translations

• Polish: podkuwać się impf, podkuć się pf

Anagrams

• pugne, unpeg