Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
to take up the cause
English answer:
to embrace/adopt someone else's cause as one's own
Added to glossary by
Olga Layer
Jul 26, 2007 01:08
16 yrs ago
3 viewers *
English term
Poland
take up the cause
English
Art/Literary
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
A woman talks about her malicious sister:
"At my niece's birthday party Jane made a vicious comment about me in front of thirty people... She thinks it's funny. Sly little digs. She's very manipulative. She seems to have taken up the cause; where Mum attacks mentally, Jane is more physical, more vocal. Both are spiteful and neither are able to show emotion in the normal sense of the word".
"At my niece's birthday party Jane made a vicious comment about me in front of thirty people... She thinks it's funny. Sly little digs. She's very manipulative. She seems to have taken up the cause; where Mum attacks mentally, Jane is more physical, more vocal. Both are spiteful and neither are able to show emotion in the normal sense of the word".
Change log
Aug 29, 2007 18:42: Olga Layer Created KOG entry
Responses
+11
16 mins
Olga Layer
Specializes in field
Accuracy above all!
Native in: Russian 
Works in: Russian to English, English to Russian, French to English, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
Selected
Jane has "embraced" her mother's "fight" with her sister as her own
to take up the cause - means to embrace (or to adopt) someone else's cause, idea, or practice and make it one's own. In other words, this Jane decided to join her mother in attacking her sister -- i.e., she has taken up her mother's cause (the cause being her fight with her daughter).
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks!"
14 mins
join with others/give support to
It seems that this woman already feels attacked by Mum and now notices that Jane is joining in the attack.
It originated with charities and/or social causes - going out and marching in the streets but here it seems to refer to a personal grudge/vendetta?
It originated with charities and/or social causes - going out and marching in the streets but here it seems to refer to a personal grudge/vendetta?
18 mins
Alexander Demyanov
Works in field
Software Engineering background
Native in: Russian
Works in: English, Russian, Russian to English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
28
to involve oneself in the cause/matter
Somewhere in the preceding context there must be a reference to some "cause" or "matter", on which Mum was "mentally attacking" the speaker. Now Jane "takes up the cause", i.e. involves herself in the matter.
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Note added at 19 mins (2007-07-26 01:27:52 GMT)
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117. take up,
a. to occupy oneself with the study or practice of: She took up painting in her spare time.
b. to lift or pick up: He took up the fallen leaves with a rake.
c. to occupy; cover: A grand piano would take up half of our living room.
d. to consume; use up; absorb: Traveling to her job takes up a great deal of time.
e. to begin to advocate or support; sponsor: He has taken up another struggling artist.
f. to continue; resume: We took up where we had left off.
g. to reply to in order to reprove: The author takes up his critics in the preface of his latest book.
h. to assume: He took up the duties of the presidency.
i. to absorb: Use a sponge to take up the spilled milk.
j. to make shorter, as by hemming: to take up the sleeves an inch.
k. to make tighter, as by winding in: to take up the slack in a reel of tape.
l. to deal with in discussion: to take up the issue of mass transit.
m. to adopt seriously: to take up the idea of seeking public office.
n. to accept, as an offer or challenge.
o. to buy as much as is offered: The sale was taken up in a matter of days.
p. Chiefly British. to clear by paying off, as a loan.
q. Obsolete. to arrest (esp. a runaway slave).
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Note added at 19 mins (2007-07-26 01:27:52 GMT)
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117. take up,
a. to occupy oneself with the study or practice of: She took up painting in her spare time.
b. to lift or pick up: He took up the fallen leaves with a rake.
c. to occupy; cover: A grand piano would take up half of our living room.
d. to consume; use up; absorb: Traveling to her job takes up a great deal of time.
e. to begin to advocate or support; sponsor: He has taken up another struggling artist.
f. to continue; resume: We took up where we had left off.
g. to reply to in order to reprove: The author takes up his critics in the preface of his latest book.
h. to assume: He took up the duties of the presidency.
i. to absorb: Use a sponge to take up the spilled milk.
j. to make shorter, as by hemming: to take up the sleeves an inch.
k. to make tighter, as by winding in: to take up the slack in a reel of tape.
l. to deal with in discussion: to take up the issue of mass transit.
m. to adopt seriously: to take up the idea of seeking public office.
n. to accept, as an offer or challenge.
o. to buy as much as is offered: The sale was taken up in a matter of days.
p. Chiefly British. to clear by paying off, as a loan.
q. Obsolete. to arrest (esp. a runaway slave).
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