tidy up

tidy up

1. To make something or some place cleaner, neater, or more organized in appearance. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "tidy" and "up." You really need to tidy up your room. It's like a pigsty in there! I've been meaning to tidy up the bookshelves—I'm sick of having all those books thrown in a heap.
2. To refine something (such as a piece of writing) by removing errors, inconsistences, offensive elements, etc. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "tidy" and "up." I paid an editor to tidy up my manuscript, and after that I got multiple offers! No radio station will play this song as-is—you need to tidy it up a bit and remove the foul language.
See also: up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

tidy something up

to clean something up; to make something more orderly. Please tidy this room up. I'll tidy up the kitchen later.
See also: up

tidy up

to clean up [oneself or a place]. Please tidy up. This place is a mess. Please tidy up. You are a mess.
See also: up
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

tidy up

v.
1. To put something in order; clean something: We should tidy up the house. We need to tidy this report up before we can submit it.
2. To make things orderly and neat in appearance or procedure: We should tidy up before the guests arrive. I need to tidy up; my hair is a mess.
See also: up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • clean up
  • back into
  • back into (someone or something)
  • angle
  • angling
  • orient
  • orient to
  • orient to (something)
  • mac out
  • mack out
References in periodicals archive
This involved two Big Tidy Ups of the school grounds and the surrounding areas on Monday and Tuesday.
The Big Tidy Up is a national blitz on litter, organised by Keep Britain Tidy.
EFFORTS to tidy up Middlesbrough are to be swept out across the town.
The Big Tidy Up aims to get everyone out on the streets cleaning up their corner of the community.
Keep Britain Tidy has launched the Big Tidy Up, where the public are invited to get involved in cleanup events.
Staff from the Chronicle's parent company ncjMedia gave up office hours to help Newcastle City Council workers to tidy up around the infamous Bigg Market, right outside our office.
The project sees specially-designed boats collect debris from the river to tidy up the Tyne.
Globally "When we're out litter picking we often have people talking to us and sometimes we hear about their own tidy ups close to where they live or in a spot that's important to them.
Organising "Big Tidy Ups" which include staff, their families, local community groups, and schools.
If that's not possible, then storage and rigorous tidy ups plus regular clear-outs will have to do.
Nails Inc offers the best quickie tidy ups (pounds 7 for 15 minutes) and there will soon be a branch near you.
* Organising "Big Tidy Ups", which include staff, their families, local community groups, and schools.
There have been beach litter picks and campus tidy ups; students ran a programme called Beware the Bogeyman - to warn elderly people about bogus callers, as well as garden makeovers and mural painting in the university nursery - even a project undertaken by a group of students at Barnardos to help child abuse victims.
Work can range from removing graffiti to repairing and redecorating run-down halls to environmental work such as grass cutting, wood chipping and tidy ups. The campaign will provide free labour for work that may not otherwise be completed.
Guidance is also available on the Keep Britain Tidy website - under "Tidy Ups" - at www.thebigtidyup.org.