hem up

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English

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Verb

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hem up (third-person singular simple present hems up, present participle hemming up, simple past and past participle hemmed up)

  1. (transitive, informal) To restrain (a person) by grabbing their collar.
    • 2006, Kali James, Can U Get Away?, page 17:
      Taking him home she hemmed him up soon as they stepped in the door. Now Tony was a bad dude in the streets but when it came to his mama, he was a punk. A few cuss words on her part had him spilling everything.
    • 2014, Tiffany Bolado, The Legacy of Misperception, page 89:
      Felicia and Jorge remained inside, observing in horror. Carlos hastily went to where his brother was and grabbed him with all his might. He placed him in a choke-hold and hemmed him up on the brick wall.
  2. (transitive, slang) To arrest or lock up.
    The last thing you want is to get hemmed up in prison.