perk up

Indeed, perked up ears with a tongue lolling does not read as scared so much as “squirrel!”

But who doesn’t perk up a bit when the scrim of perfection that shields the private lives of high-profile, perfectly turned-out couples is torn, even for one brief moment?

The biggest surprise, one that perked up an otherwise mixed bag of an episode, was Adam Sandler showing up as the patient in a surgery sketch.

"The governor left and Simon fell asleep again in a second after perking up for 15 minutes, which I didn’t think he would manage."

The cashier perked up when asked about the mushroom products.