chum up
verb
Forms chums up chumming up chummed up
- verb (idiomatic, informal) To be friendly toward (with or to) someone, especially in an ingratiating way; to form a friendship (with). “I chummed up with a few of my new work colleagues.”
- verb (obsolete, UK, prison slang, transitive) To initiate (a new prisoner) through a ritual involving beating him with sticks and swords, accompanied by music, to extort money from him.
- verb To apply chum to water as bait.
- verb (by extension) To render a situation frenzied and confusing.
Synonyms
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “chum up”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details