Question 1

What does "poker up" mean?

Accepted Answer

(Non-standard) To become stiff and formal in posture or behavior

Question 2

How do you use "poker up" in a sentence?

Accepted Answer

He seemed to poker up whenever his father-in-law entered the room.

Question 3

Is "poker up" formal or informal?

Accepted Answer

"poker up" is informal — used mainly in casual conversation. This is an extremely rare and non-standard phrasal verb. The standard expression is 'poker-faced' (adjective) or 'stiff as a poker'. ESL learners should not use 'poker up' and should instead use 'stiffen up', 'become stiff', or 'straighten up'. Included here for completeness.

poker up

"up" 포함 구문