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curl up
verb
(intr) to adopt a reclining position with the legs close to the body and the back rounded
to become or cause to become spiral-shaped or curved
(intr) to retire to a quiet cosy setting
to curl up with a good novel
informalto be or cause to be embarrassed or disgusted (esp in the phrase curl up and die )
Idioms and Phrases
Assume a position with the legs drawn up; settle down for sleep in this posture. For example, I love to curl up with a good book . [c. 1900]
curl up and die . Retreat, collapse, die, as in At first the horse was ahead but in the home stretch she curled up and died , or I'll just curl up and die if he shows up . This colorful expression for collapsing or dying is often used hyperbolically (second example). [Early 1900s]
curl someone up . Kill someone, as in The sheriff said he'd curl up that outlaw . This usage originated as cowboy slang in the second half of the 1800s.
Example Sentences
Clark said she and a security guard stood and watched as Combs repeatedly kicked Ventura with “100% force” as the singer curled up to protect herself, according to Associated Press.
"Even thinking about that place in Dhaka makes me feel horrible. There was no space to lie down properly, so I had to sleep being curled up. I couldn't stretch my legs while lying down."
In a sport where her contortions are magic, she lay curled up in a ball.
I was curled up on that little staircase in the house with my monitor and I couldn’t see properly.
The skeleton of a woman was found lying on top of a bed, curled up in a foetal position.
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