drum up
Related to drum up: roughshod, out of whack, drummed into, Banging the Drum
drum up
1. To work to gain or incite something, often interest or support. A noun or pronoun can be used between "drum" and "up." What else can we do to drum up more support for our campaign? I try to drum up enthusiasm for trigonometry, but my students are just not interested.
2. To create or devise something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "drum" and "up." We need to drum up a story before mom gets home and sees the vase we broke.
See also: drum, up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
drum something up
to obtain something by attracting people's attention to one's need or cause. I shall try to drum up support for the party. You shall have to drum up new business by advertising. I need to do something to drum some business up.
See also: drum, up
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
drum up
1. Bring about by persistent effort, as in I'm trying to drum up more customers, or We have to drum up support for this amendment. This expression alludes to making repeated drumbeats. [Mid-1800s]
2. Devise, invent, obtain, as in He hoped to drum up an alibi. [Mid-1800s]
See also: drum, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
drum up
v.
1. To bring something about by continuous, persistent effort: The advertising firm drummed up new business for us. The manager tried to drum interest up in the computer training classes.
2. To obtain or resourcefully put together something that one needs; come up with something: The witness drummed up an alibi during the trial. We drummed some volunteers up for the project.
See also: drum, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
drum up
To gather, to summon. Alluding to summoning recruits by beating a drum, this term has been used figuratively since the 1600s. It is often used in a business sense, as it was by Thomas Gray in a letter of 1849: “I will then drum up subscribers for Fendler.” An antonym is to drum out, meaning to dismiss or oust. In the military this, too, was signaled by beating a drum. This came to mean being fired from a job but is not heard as often today.
See also: drum, up
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- drum out
- drum into
- drum into (one)
- bang the drum
- bang/beat the drum
- bang the drum for (someone or something)
- drum out of
- drum out of (something)
- arrange for
- arrange some music for