"sit up and take notice" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sits up and takes notice",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sitting up and taking notice",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sat up and took notice",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sat up and taken notice",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sit<,,sat> up and take<,,took,taken> notice",
        "head": "sit up and take notice"
      },
      "expansion": "sit up and take notice (third-person singular simple present sits up and takes notice, present participle sitting up and taking notice, simple past sat up and took notice, past participle sat up and taken notice)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English coordinated pairs",
          "parents": [
            "Coordinated pairs",
            "Terms by etymology"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1949 November and December, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 365",
          "text": "But when we streaked through Doncaster at all but a mile-a-minute, with a miraculously clear road, in no more than 37 min. 18 sec. from the York start, I began to sit up and take notice.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To start to pay attention suddenly."
      ],
      "id": "en-sit_up_and_take_notice-en-verb-2t72oaM9",
      "links": [
        [
          "pay attention",
          "pay attention"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "prick up one's ears"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "sit up and take notice"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sits up and takes notice",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sitting up and taking notice",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sat up and took notice",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sat up and taken notice",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sit<,,sat> up and take<,,took,taken> notice",
        "head": "sit up and take notice"
      },
      "expansion": "sit up and take notice (third-person singular simple present sits up and takes notice, present participle sitting up and taking notice, simple past sat up and took notice, past participle sat up and taken notice)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English coordinated pairs",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1949 November and December, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 365",
          "text": "But when we streaked through Doncaster at all but a mile-a-minute, with a miraculously clear road, in no more than 37 min. 18 sec. from the York start, I began to sit up and take notice.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To start to pay attention suddenly."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "pay attention",
          "pay attention"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "prick up one's ears"
    }
  ],
  "word": "sit up and take notice"
}