You scrub up well

[tetulio5]

Hello,
I have just read the next phrase:

' Hello, Beth. You look a million dollars!'
Thank you. You scrub up well yourself '

' Hola Beth. Vas muy bien vestida!
Gracias. .....'

I don't get any proper sentence for ' you scrub up well yourself'

 

[Alguienanonimo]

Hello,
I have just read the next phrase:

' Hello, Beth. You look a million dollars!'
Thank you. You scrub up well yourself '

' Hola Beth. Vas muy bien vestida!
Gracias. .....'

I don't get any proper sentence for ' you scrub up well yourself'

Te pusiste presentable

 

[Victoria Izanami]

Hello,
I have just read the next phrase:

' Hello, Beth. You look a million dollars!'
Thank you. You scrub up well yourself '

' Hola Beth. Vas muy bien vestida!
Gracias. .....'

I don't get any proper sentence for ' you scrub up well yourself'

Para mí sería " Te arreglaste muy bien"

 

[grindios]

Para mí sería " Te arreglaste muy bien"

de acuerdo

 

[Masood]

Solo para agregar que el original implica que alguien ha hecho un esfuerzo de tener buena pinta.

 

[SydLexia]

It's probable that they have both got dressed up to go to some sort of event:

With "You scrub up well yourself" Beth is saying that the other has obviously made an effort and looks good too.

"Tus esfuerzos han dado resultado tambien"

syd

 

[gengo]

Hello, Beth. You look a million dollars!
Thank you. You scrub up well yourself.

In my English the more common version is "you clean up well," but the meaning is the same. In my opinion, it is a subtle joke, implying that the other person usually dresses very casually, doesn't fix up their hair, etc. It's sort of like saying, "Wow, when you put on some nice clothes and fix yourself up, you don't look too bad!" The image I get of the literal meaning is of a person who is disheveled, maybe covered in dirt, and then, after taking a bath, looks much more presentable.

 

[jasminasul]

Para mí no es eso, sino: estás muy guapa cuando te arreglas/aseas.
Cross posted.

 

[Galván]

Lo entiendo como una broma ya que "scrub-up" es literalmente pasarse la esponja en la bañera, lo cual supone un esfuerzo mínimo en comparación con el esfuerzo que hizo Beth en arreglarse.

 

[grindios]

In my English the more common version is "you clean up well," but the meaning is the same. In my opinion, it is a subtle joke, implying that the other person usually dresses very casually, doesn't fix up their hair, etc. It's sort of like saying, "Wow, when you put on some nice clothes and fix yourself up, you don't look too bad!" The image I get of the literal meaning is of a person who is disheveled, maybe covered in dirt, and then, after taking a bath, looks much more presentable.

100% de acuerdo, por lo menos en los EEUU

 

[SydLexia]

100% de acuerdo, por lo menos en los EEUU

I also agree with gengo: that's exactly what it means in BrE as well.

And "scrubbing" requires effort of a fairly vigorous kind. It's how housemaids used to clean the floor; on their knees with a scrubbing brush (and that is, in fact, part of the joke).

syd

 

[grindios]

And "scrubbing" requires effort of a fairly vigorous kind. It's how housemaids used to clean the floor; on their knees with a scrubbing brush (and that is, in fact, part of the joke).

Not in the US. Here it means exactly what gengo said with the amount of effort (no matter how little or great) not being implied.

 

[gengo]

And "scrubbing" requires effort of a fairly vigorous kind. It's how housemaids used to clean the floor; on their knees with a scrubbing brush (and that is, in fact, part of the joke).

I think "scrub" is used more frequently in BrEn than in AmEn, that is, in meanings other than the literal one involving a scrubbing brush. On British TV car shows I often hear this used. For example, a guy buying a used car that is covered in dust might say, "It needs a bit of a scrub-up, but other than that it looks good." The car does not need to be scrubbed, and merely needs to be washed. I've also heard people use it to refer to taking a quick shower, etc., in which no literal scrubbing is involved.

All that aside, the original version in this thread (with scrub) would be readily understood by all Americans, and some may even say it that way.