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Step on up

Posted by Smokey Stover on July 14, 2006

In Reply to: Step on up posted by R. Berg on July 13, 2006

: : What does the phrase "step on up" mean? I quess it is something like "come on, dare", dut I'm not sure...
: : Thanks.

: Come forward and act. The meaning is pretty broad. "Step up to the plate" means to take your turn at bat in baseball.

As Ms. Berg says, the meaning is pretty broad, "Come forward" being the safest definition. The last time I heard the phrase spoken, a knife salesman was giving his pitchin a grocery store, at the end of which he exhorted the circle of listeners around his little platform to "Step on up and take advantage of this specialoffer." He also said, a couple of times, "Step right up, get a free knife if you don't choose to order." I cite this example only because it is so typical of the way the phrase is used. "Step," I hardly need say, means to move your foot or feet forward, as in walking. This pitchman could have said "Walk right up" or "Walk on up," but the stardard idiom is "Step right up" or "Step on up." and also because "step up" implies a short distance, while "walk up" could be a longer distance.

There are other idiomatic uses of step you might benefit from knowing. If someone says, "step it up," he means "get a move on, go faster."
SS

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