pick-up
Noun:
- An informal, often brief romantic or sexual acquaintance: "pick-up" refers to a casual encounter where someone meets another person, typically for a short-term romantic or sexual purpose.
- A device that detects or collects something: In electronics, a "pick-up" is a component that senses signals, such as a record player's stylus or a guitar's magnetic coil.
- A type of vehicle: Short for "pick-up truck," a light truck with an open cargo area.
- An improvement or increase: "pick-up" can mean a rise in speed, health, or production, as in a recovery or acceleration.
- The act of collecting goods or people: "pick-up" refers to stopping to take on passengers or cargo, as with a bus or delivery service.
Verb (used as a hyphenated compound, e.g., "pick up"):
- To lift or take hold of: To grasp and raise something from a surface.
- To collect or obtain: To go and get someone or something, often as arranged.
- To learn informally: To acquire knowledge or a skill without formal instruction.
- To improve or increase: To become better, faster, or stronger.
- To initiate a romantic or sexual encounter: To approach someone with the intent of starting a casual relationship.
Noun:
- He met her at a bar; it was just a pick-up. (A casual romantic acquaintance.)
- The record player's pick-up needs replacing. (The device that reads the grooves on a vinyl record.)
- She drove a red pick-up to the farm. (A pick-up truck.)
- There was a pick-up in sales after the ad campaign. (An improvement or increase.)
- The bus makes a pick-up at the corner. (A stop to collect passengers.)
Verb (note: the verb is written as two words "pick up"):
- Please pick up the book from the floor. (To lift.)
- I will pick up the kids after school. (To collect.)
- He picked up Spanish while living in Mexico. (To learn informally.)
- The economy is starting to pick up. (To improve.)
- He tried to pick her up at the party. (To initiate a romantic encounter.)
"Pick-up line": A phrase used to initiate a romantic or sexual conversation with a stranger.
- "Do you come here often?" is a classic pick-up line. (A conversational opener for flirting.)
"Pick-up game": An informal, unplanned sports match.
- They played a pick-up game of basketball at the park. (An impromptu game.)
"Pick-up artist": A person skilled in techniques for initiating romantic or sexual encounters.
- He read books to become a pick-up artist. (Someone who studies seduction methods.)
Pick-up truck (n): A light motor vehicle with an open body and low sides.
- He loaded the lumber into his pick-up truck. (A vehicle type.)
Pick-me-up (n): A thing that makes one feel more energetic or cheerful.
- A cup of coffee is a good pick-me-up in the morning. (A stimulant or refreshment.)
- For the noun (romantic encounter): casual fling, one-night stand, hookup.
- For the noun (device): sensor, detector, cartridge (for a record player).
- For the noun (vehicle): truck, light truck, utility vehicle.
- For the noun (improvement): recovery, upturn, boost, acceleration.
- For the verb (to lift): raise, hoist, gather.
- For the verb (to collect): fetch, retrieve, gather.
- For the verb (to learn): acquire, learn, absorb.
Pick up on: To notice or become aware of something.
- She quickly picked up on his nervousness. (She noticed his anxiety.)
Pick up after: To clean or tidy up someone else's mess.
- He always has to pick up after his messy roommate. (Clean up behind someone.)
Pick up the pieces: To restore order or recover after a disaster or setback.
- After the flood, the community had to pick up the pieces. (Rebuild and recover.)
Pick up the tab: To pay the bill, especially for someone else.
- He generously offered to pick up the tab for dinner. (Pay for the meal.)
Pick up speed: To accelerate or go faster.
- The car began to pick up speed on the highway. (Increase velocity.)