磨き上げる

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 磨き上げる is read みがきあげる.
• Basic usage: It means polishing an object thoroughly or refining a work to a high level of finish.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Physical polishing
  • 鏡を磨き上げた: a cloudy mirror was polished thoroughly.
• Refining a work
  • 物語を磨き上げる: revising a story repeatedly until it is highly polished.