Stopped up & backed up are phrasal verbs! Remember those things?! They have been put into our English vocabulary to confuse those of you whose English is not your mother tongue!
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Stopped up and backed up are related to each other. Stopped up and backed up means something is unable to flow freely, generally inside a pipe. Or something is blocking the flow, so we say the pipe is stopped up! When this happens, it's not fun, because the next thing one has to do is unplug whatever is blocking the flow.
Note: We can also say that the traffic is backed up, which often happens at rush hour, meaning that many cars are on the street or freeway, causing cars to move slowly or stop.
Note: We can also say that the traffic is backed up, which often happens at rush hour, meaning that many cars are on the street or freeway, causing cars to move slowly or stop.
For example, a kitchen sink drain can get stopped up or backed up, meaning that whatever is down the drain is going to come up and into the sink. You would probably have to turn off the water faucet to keep the water in the sink from overflowing unto the floor! You can be certain that the water, when backed up in a drain will not be clean! So, keep your drains and toilets free (using a plunger) from stopping up or backing up!
Congratulations! You're that much closer to speaking excellent American English!
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