screw up one's courage
screw up one's courage or pluck up one's courage {v. phr.}
To force yourself to be brave.
The small boy screwed up his courage and went upstairs in the dark.
When his father came home in a bad mood, it took Pete some time to screw up his courage and ask him for a dollar.
Compare: WHISTLE IN THE DARK.
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Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms
