up

   When used as a phrasal verb (which see), up is often just a hitchhiker, joining sentences only for the ride. Occasionally idiom dictates that we include it: we look up a word in a book, we dig up facts, we move up in our careers. But often its appearance is entirely needless, as in these examples: "Another time, another tiger ate up twenty-seven of Henning's thirty prop animals" (Washington Post); "Plans to tighten up the rules ... of the National Health Service were announced yesterday" (Times); "This could force the banks to lift up their interest rates" (Financial Times). In these and countless other cases, up should be unceremoniously expunged. Sometimes in its eagerness up moves to the front of words: "With the continued upsurge in sales of domestic appliances . . ." (Times). Although upsurge is a recognized word, it seldom means more than surge.