"parking up" instead of, er, parking

[Greythorne]

why do people say, "oh, park up over there!" instead of "oh, park over there!"

Confused.

Park up....sounds horrible.

[daddoinghisbest]

You're right, it's just wrong. But even worse is hearing people in the queue at costa's saying 'can I get a coffee instead of can I have a coffee. (I suppose it should really be 'may' I have, if I'm to be fully anal). Of course, I blame the americans!

[prism]

This is trucker speak. Lorry drivers don't tend to talk about parking (that's what car drivers do)- they talk about loading and unloading- but when they're going to put the vehicle somewhere for a long time, like to sleep or have a lunch break, or because they've finished for the day, they park up. It's a bit like when someone finishes up or tidies up, which happens at the end of the whole thing as opposed to just finishing or tidying one bit. But if you're in a Ford Fiesta and talk about "parking up" you're seriously pretentious.

Gleaned from years of student hitch-hiking.

[daddoinghisbest]

What about this one: why do we have a cold, and the flu'?

[BendyBob]

Oh yes you are right. Park up is v annoying.

Dc and their friends all want to know who will 'play out'. That's sounds all wrong to me too.

[campion]

I 'played out'.

Twas common parlance in Yorkshire back then.

( It means playing outside. Don't think we were allowed inside much.)

'appen

[Greythorne]

No, play out is fine by me, too. (Lancashire lass, if it matters.)

Play means, well, play...could be indoors or out, with board games, or jigsaws or balls or whatever.

But play out means play outside.