What's up with the word "UP"?

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP."

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car . People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special .

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so..... time to shut UP .....!

Oh...one more thing:

What is the first thing you do in the morning & the last thing you do at night? U-P

its English Language,not sure but its complicated if you ask me

Wow.
I have never thought of that before!
That is SO cool!
Hahah.
I'm gonna go tell my family&friends.
Woahh.....
:)

Great ponderings! What would we do do without 'up'!
This is one of the best thought out questions I've seen on YA for a long time!
I'm not being sycophantic....
You've really made me laugh.
Perhaps everyone will 'up the ante' from now on!

V. true but to be picky I would suggest a few of your usages are colloquiallisms and not really "proper" english, marked **, If you remove those then mostly UP means to increase something, height, alertness, brightness, so although it's used in a lot of contexts it means the same thing.

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers **UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write **UP a report?

We call **UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish **UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP **<<(American english) the old car . People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special .