fix up

See also: fixup and fix-up

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

fix up (third-person singular simple present fixes up, present participle fixing up, simple past and past participle fixed up)

1. (informal, transitive, intransitive) To provide (someone) with something; to furnish.

   I need someone to fix me up with a tent and some camping gear.

   • 1913, Harris Dickson, The Saturday Evening Post - Volume 186‎^[1]:

     Ef you don't fix me up a rake-off I got to scrap roun' fer myself.

2. (transitive, always with with) To set up a date or to introduce people with the intention of a possible romantic or sexual coupling.

   Can you fix me up with a date for Saturday night?

   • 1975, Shelley Steinmann List, Nobody Makes Me Cry‎^[2]:

     Please don't fix me up with any of your tycoons

   • 1988 April 9, Liz Gaist, “Lesbian Trash At Its Finest”, in Gay Community News, page 7:

     Syl finally fixes Chris up with Candy, a school teacher. Of course, they hit it off instantly. They return home from a date, and before they can lock Candy's front door behind them, the two women are doing it on the rug.

   • 2006, Leisure Entertainment Service Company, Nine romantic stories to remember‎^[3]:

     "You and I are going dancing," he said. "I'm going to buy you a drink, and then I'm going to fix you up with someone. You've been alone too long. It's time for you to get back in circulation." "Don't fix me up," I said. "I'll go, but don't fix me up.

3. (transitive) To repair or refurbish.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:repair

   I've been fixing up the boat for the holidays.

   • 2017 January 12, Jesse Hassenger, “A literal monster truck is far from the stupidest thing about Monster Trucks”, in The Onion AV Club‎^[4]:

     Creech is flexible enough to hide inside of the old truck that Tripp is fixing up, and Tripp discovers that, with the right tweaking, the oil-guzzling Creech can actually power that truck from the inside.

4. (informal, transitive) To prepare or provide (something).

   His mother will fix up a snack for the sleepover tonight.

5. (slang, dated) To settle up with; reimburse.
   • 1906, Myra Kelly, "A Soul Above Buttons"‎^[5]:

     "If you don't fix me up I'll report you and have your whole shop raided.”

   • 2016, Steve Austin, Working Dog Heroes‎^[6]:

     I didn't extend credit to other kids, but after he'd become a regular customer he asked me to take some bets for which he'd fix me up later.

Derived terms

• fixer-upper
• fixup (noun)
• fix-up (noun)

 

Translations

to provide someone with something

• Finnish: järjestää (fi), hoitaa (fi), junailla (fi)
• German: versorgen (de), ausstatten (de)
• Irish: cuir caoi ar

to repair or refurbish

• Finnish: duunata (fi), kunnostaa (fi)
• French: réparer (fr)
• German: herrichten (de), reparieren (de), ausbessern (de), aufbessern (de), überarbeiten (de), renovieren (de), aufbauen (de), in Ordnung bringen
• Swedish: fixa till

to prepare or provide something

• Finnish: järjestää (fi)
• German: vorbereiten (de), fertig machen, arrangieren (de), versorgen (de)