# "Scaring up" money **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scaring-up-money/489260 "2009-03-12T21:33:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scaring-up-money/489260/1 "2009-03-12T21:33:43Z")
I walked past our CEO and the head of our foundation in the hall today, together in coats and obviously heading out somewhere. And I said as we passed, “Going out to scare up some money for us?” The CEO burst into laughter and said to the foundation pres, “We must have quite the reputation”, as they walked on. I inferred from this reaction that maybe he thought I literally meant _scare_ as in frighten or intimidate people into giving to us. That wasn’t my intent at all. Actually, I’m not even sure why I picked those words, but I’ve never understood the phrase “scare up” to intended so literally. I think of it to mean something more like digging for coins under couch covers, or scraping up some money when you don’t have much. And no, I don’t know why I didn’t say “scrape up”. Anyway, have you heard the phrase used in such a literal sense? Or am I misinterpreting his response altogether? ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scaring-up-money/489260/2 "2009-03-12T23:59:53Z")
Were they trench coats? You clearly work for the head of the Wisconsin Mafia ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scaring-up-money/489260/3 "2009-03-13T00:22:38Z")
According to [m-w.com](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scare%20up), this idiom means exactly that: _scrape up_. There’s no indication at all of its more literal interpretation coming into play at all. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scaring-up-money/489260/4 "2009-03-13T14:52:02Z")
The OED indicates that the original meaning was more or less literal. “Scaring up” meant “flushing out” [game, birds, etc.]. From there it evolved into it’s more metaphorical meaning of “bringing to light” or “discovering.” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scaring-up-money/489260/5 "2009-03-13T15:00:41Z")
Frak. I knew I meant to look something up in the OED when I got home last night. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scaring-up-money/489260/6 "2009-03-13T15:29:02Z")
My initial reaction was that your CEO meant “Boy, we really have a reputation for going after the $$.” ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scaring-up-money/489260/7 "2009-03-13T16:19:18Z")
I’m with **Lab** on this one. I don’t believe the PTBs took it as anything other than you intended. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scaring-up-money/489260/8 "2009-03-13T20:24:13Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > My initial reaction was that your CEO meant “Boy, we really have a reputation for going after the $$.” As the CEO and the president of a not-for-profit, they are both pretty much full-time fundraisers and cheerleaders. I just don’t get why it drew such a response unless they understood it in some other way than I intended it.