rark up v. phr. to disturb, annoy, or provoke (someone), especially verbally; to chastise or harangue; to stimulate, motivate, or excite (someone). Occasionally non-phrasal: rark. Also as noun, rark-up or rark, a chastisement, goading, or disturbance. Editorial Note: The Macquarie Dictionary has a similar term arc up, defined as “colloquial to react angrily: to arc up at a critical comment.” Thanks to John Yesberg for the tip. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Jen in Denton, Texas, grew up in upstate New York hearing her Brooklyn-born parents say scutch when someone was being a pest, as in “Don’t be a scutch.” The family spelling she gives is scutch, while a more often seen Italian-American spelling is...
A caller with a 25-year-old parrot wonders: How much language do birds really understand? Plus, Knock-knock. Who’s there? Boo. Well… you can guess the rest. But there was a time when these goofy jokes were a brand-new craze sweeping the nation...