soak up

soak up

1. To absorb or gather moisture or liquid. A noun or pronoun can be used between "soak" and "up." Use a paper towel to soak excess fat up after you cook the sausages. The paramedic applied a second bandage to help soak up the blood.
2. By extension, to absorb or take in all or as much of something as possible. A noun or pronoun can be used between "soak" and "up." I can't wait to be on the beach soaking up the sun! She was captivated by the class, soaking up the teacher's every word. I always try to soak his advice up whenever he offers it.
See also: soak, up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

soak something up

 
1. Lit. to gather up moisture or a liquid, using an absorbent cloth, paper, etc. Alice soaked the spill up with a sponge. she soaked up the spilled milk.
2. Lit. [for cloth, paper, or other absorbent material] to absorb moisture or a liquid. Please get some paper towels to soak the spill up. The sponge soaked up the orange juice.
3. Fig. to learn or absorb some information; to learn much information. I can't soak information up as fast as I used to be able to. The tourists will soak up anything you tell them.
See also: soak, up
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

soak up

1. Absorb, take in, as in I lay there, soaking up the sun, or She often went to hear poets read their work, soaking up every word. This usage, alluding to absorbing a liquid, dates from the mid-1500s.
2. Drink to excess, as in She can really soak up her beer.
See also: soak, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

soak up

v.
1. To absorb something, such as a liquid, through or as if through pores: The towel under the sink soaks the leaking water up. The quilt used to hang in the barn, and I'm afraid it soaked up some of the smell.
2. To take in or accept something mentally, especially eagerly and easily: I soaked up the atmosphere as I wandered its streets. The student soaked up everything the teacher said.
See also: soak, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • soak off
  • soak out
  • steep in
  • wet through
  • not do (someone or oneself) any favors
  • soak in
  • involve with
  • involve with (someone or something)
  • involved with
  • (Is) this taken?
References in periodicals archive
Because the granules are porous, they soak up plastic resin and bond well to it.
From paper-mill sludge to plastic decking
Make it a point to walk outside and soak up what little sun there is.
SERIOUSLY SAD
Even though the 56 funds tracking the S&P 500 soak up $59 billion of the $169 billion invested in index funds, there's a great deal of variety out on the market, covering everything from foreign stock markets to bonds.
Is investing in index funds for you? Don't be fooled - not all these funds are alike
My clothes and hair would soak up so much "atmosphere" they would take several days of airing and shampooing to cleanse.
Slightly autobiographical: the 1960s on the Lower East Side
Apply a little moisturiser on dry spots that soak up fake tan and turn orange: knuckles, elbows, backs of ankles and knees.
FAKE ME UP before you go glow... Our ultimate guide to the art of faking it. Nobody need know you've not spent a week sunbathing by the pool if you follow these simple rules
He stood bolt upright in the visitors' dug-out to soak up the strains of You'll Never Walk Alone before kick-off.
Dream return to Anfield is a real nightmare
A car park next to council offices on Campbell Park Road was last night sectioned off as officers continued their clean-up operation, using zinc and sawdust to soak up the chemical.
It nearly killed me
Mike Rogers, managing director for small business at Barclays, says: ``What we may be seeing is a sponge effect, where people soak up all a company has to offer in terms of training, experience and contacts, before turning it to their own use in a new business.
Saved from rat race by starting business