do up — fasten (Murphy Unit 144, Phrasal verbs up 2)
Pattern
Section titled “Pattern”do up = fasten (shoelaces, buttons, zips, coat).
- My hands were so cold, I found it hard to do up my shoelaces. (tie them)
- Do up your coat — it’s cold. (button/zip it)
- She did up the buttons on her shirt.
The two meanings of “do up”
Section titled “The two meanings of “do up””| Meaning | Example |
|---|---|
| fasten | Do up your shoelaces / coat / buttons / zip. |
| renovate / decorate | They did up the old house. |
Context decides. For clothes/shoelaces, it’s “fasten”.
Distinguish from other “up” phrasals
Section titled “Distinguish from other “up” phrasals”| Phrasal | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| do up | fasten / renovate | Do up your shoes. / do up a house |
| make up | invent / cosmetics / reconcile | She made up a story. / They made up after the fight. |
| hold up | delay / rob / support | Traffic held us up. |
| put up | erect / accommodate / tolerate | Put up a tent. |
Test application
Section titled “Test application”My hands were so cold, I found it hard to ___ my shoelaces.
Answer: do up — fasten/tie the laces. Cold hands make tying hard.
Why not the others?
- make up — invent/cosmetics/reconcile, not tying
- hold up — delay/rob/support, not tying
- do up ✓ — fasten
Source
Section titled “Source”Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use (4th ed.), Unit 144 — Phrasal verbs up 2. Ebot lesson 2026-08-29: “hard to ___ my shoelaces” → do up (fasten).