El 麦霸
Can I say "do up your mouth" metaphorically?
May 6, 2016 9:15 PM
Answers · 10
I agree with Paul. I have no idea what you are trying to say.
May 6, 2016
It doesn't matter if you mean it literally or metaphorically, it doesn't make much sense.
May 6, 2016
I agree with Paul, too. It's not a question of having a literal or any other meaning - the sentence just doesn't make sense. You can only 'do up' things that have fixed fastenings, like jackets with zips or shirts with buttons. 'Do up' is not a synonym for 'shut'. You can't 'do up' something that you can't fasten - you can close/shut a door, for example, but you can't do it up. Similarly, you can say 'shut your mouth', but it's not possible to replace 'shut' with 'do up'.
May 7, 2016
There is only literal meaning to this collocation, so no, it should not be used metaphorically.
May 6, 2016
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