Make up
Make up turns up in 2 fields: valves, electricians. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Make up in valves
To screw a threaded joint together and tighten it, or to assemble and torque a flanged joint.
A threaded valve is made up hand-tight and then wrench-tightened a set number of turns past hand-tight, and fitters talk about how much thread is made up or left showing. The noun makeup also means the thread engagement length or the gap allowed between fittings when cutting pipe to length. Making up a flange means stabbing the gasket and torquing the bolts in a star pattern.
"Make it up hand tight, then two more turns with the wrench, if you see more than three threads showing it's not in far enough."
Make up in electricians
To splice, pigtail and fold the wires in a box so it is ready for a device or cover.
Making up a box means cutting conductors to length, splicing the grounds and any neutrals or feed-throughs, adding pigtails for the device and folding everything neatly back into the box. It is usually done at the end of rough-in so the box is ready for trim, and a well made-up box is a point of pride. Inspectors check make-up for proper connectors, ground continuity and enough free conductor: at least 6 inches, reaching 3 inches past the box opening.
"Make up all the boxes on two before lunch, grounds twisted and nutted, neutrals pigtailed, tails folded in."