crap up
Definition
- Verb (intransitive):
- To become blocked, obstructed, or choked up; to stop functioning or flowing properly due to an accumulation of material.
Usage
- This phrasal verb is informal and is typically used to describe a physical object, system, or passage that becomes blocked.
- It often refers to plumbing, drains, pipes, or machinery.
- It describes the process or event of becoming clogged.
Examples
- Verb:
- If you pour grease down the sink, it will crap up the pipes.
- The old engine crapped up after years of neglect.
- The filter crapped up with sediment, so we had to replace it.
Advanced Usage
- While the core meaning is physical obstruction, it can be used metaphorically in very informal contexts to describe something that has become complicated, bogged down, or stopped working smoothly.
- The whole negotiation crapped up over a minor detail. (Informal/Figurative)
Variants and Related Words
- Clog up (verb): A more standard and polite synonym with the same meaning.
- Gum up (verb): To make something sticky or cause it to not work smoothly.
- Block (verb): To obstruct a passage or opening.
- Choke (verb): To block a passage, especially so that breathing or flow is difficult.
Synonyms
- Clog
- Block
- Choke
- Obstruct
- Jam
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Crap out (verb): An informal phrasal verb meaning to stop working or to fail.
- My computer crapped out right before I saved the document.
Notes
- Register: This is a highly informal, even vulgar, term. It is derived from the noun "crap." It is not suitable for formal writing or polite conversation. The synonym "clog up" is always preferable in neutral or formal contexts.
- Transitive Use: While the definition provided is intransitive (to become obstructed), the verb is very commonly used transitively (to obstruct something).
- Hair craps up the shower drain. (Transitive: hair obstructs the drain)
- *The shower drain craps up. (Intransitive: the drain becomes obstructed)
Verb
-
become obstructed or chocked up
-
The drains clogged up
-