mug up

English

Verb

mug up (third-person singular simple present mugs up, present participle mugging up, simple past and past participle mugged up)

1. (intransitive, slang) To study intensely.

   Synonyms: bone up, buff up, cram

   I mugged up on the meaning of road signs before taking my driving test.

2. (intransitive, slang, theater, obsolete) To paint one's face or put on a costume for the purpose of impersonation.

References

• (impersonate): John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary

Anagrams

• gum up