perk up

This seems to be where the author’s real interests lie, and the writing appreciably perks up when she gets there.

He expects home sales to perk up as mortgage rates drop.

Only towards the end of the first period did Madrid perk up again in attack, with Soria saving from Rodrygo Goes after good work by Jude Bellingham.

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?