chain up

chain up (third-person singular simple present chains up, present participle chaining up, simple past and past participle chained up)

1. (transitive) To put in chains
   • 1985 December 14, Faron Stone, “Naked Beyond Embarrassment”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 22, page 4:

     They've drugged me, beaten and chained me up to the solitary confinement cell bars with metal restraints.

   • 2017 July 30, Ali Barthwell, “Ice and fire finally meet in a front-loaded episode of Game Of Thrones (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club‎:

     In the dungeons, Cersei kisses Tyene Sand with poison on her lips. Ellaria is chained up across from her daughter and must watch her die. Cersei lashes out at the world and recreates whatever horror has been done to her to someone else.

2. (transitive, intransitive) To put chains on the tires of a vehicle to increase traction.
   • 1997 July 27, CharlesW99, “4 Wheel drive on icy roads question”, in rec.autos.4x4‎ (Usenet):

     In past winters, we have had to chain up our sedans simply to get up the road to our home.

   • 1994 July 25, Kong, “hunting truck recommendations”, in rec.hunting‎ (Usenet):

     We used to have to chain up the rear wheels on our '77 F250 2WD to get loads of firewood out of remote areas on sticky, slippery roads.

   • 1999 June 11, Scott Weiser, “County: City traffic projections "laughable"”, in boulder.general‎ (Usenet):

     Those of us who know how to drive in the snow don't need plows or sand. If things get really tough, we chain up.