Phrasal verb
gussy up
Definition
phrasal verb. to make someone or something look more attractive or fancy, often for a special event.
phrasal verb. to enhance the appearance of a person, place, or object through decoration or grooming; often carries a connotation of superficiality or excessive effort.
Examples
“We need to gussy up the living room before the guests arrive.”
“She spent all afternoon gussying herself up for the awards ceremony tonight.”
“The developers tried to gussy up the old warehouse with a fresh coat of paint and some modern lighting to attract younger tenants.”
Examples
simple
“We need to gussy up the living room before the guests arrive.”
contextual
“She spent all afternoon gussying herself up for the awards ceremony tonight.”
complex
“The developers tried to gussy up the old warehouse with a fresh coat of paint and some modern lighting to attract younger tenants.”
Usage
often used with a reflexive pronoun like 'himself' or 'themselves' when referring to dressing up.
Teaching tip
this is a colorful, slightly old-fashioned Americanism; contrast it with 'decorate' or 'dress up' to show its more playful, informal tone.
Pitfall
They gussied the office.
They gussied up the office.
the particle 'up' is essential to complete the meaning of the phrase.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
gussy + (object) + up
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/gussy-up