wise up
Finally catch on
To wise up is to become aware of something you should have recognized sooner, or to stop being naive: It took me years to wise up to his manipulation.
Often used as a command urging someone to face reality: Wise up—she's never going to change.
The phrase implies willful or embarrassing ignorance that needs correcting.
- catch onGrasp or gain popularity
- realizeBecome aware of
- get itUnderstand, often informally
- understandGrasp the meaning
- figure outDetermine through reasoning
comprehend · get the message · learn · grasp · cotton on · get the picture · twig · dawn on · open your eyes · discover · pick up on · get a clue · enlighten · wake up and smell the coffee · acquaint · recognize · perceive · snap out of it
- catch oncatch on, figure out, realize, understand, cotton on
- investigatinginvestigate, examine, inspect, probe, search
- scoldingscold, scolding, rebuke, berate, reprimand
- learninglearning, learn, classes, instruction, studying
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- understandunderstand, grasp, realize, comprehend, get it
wise upturn a blind eye
Deliberately ignore something obvious
bury one's head in the sand · tune out · zone out · miss the point · look the other way
wise, wisdom, unwise, wisely, wiser, unwisely, wisecrack, wisest, wisecracker