prick up

verb

1. To rise and become more alert.
2. To raise (one's ears).
3. To apply an undercoat of plaster in order to create a smooth surface for the final coat.

   “Either the rubble-wall builder, be he bricklayer or mason, must acquire much of the skill of the plasterer, or the plasterer must learn to pack up brick or stone rubble into the form of a wall, and to give more effect to the mortar with which he plasters, than when he pricks up against a lathed partition or ceiling, or renders the face of a brick wall;”

   “If a lime plaster finish is required for covering lath work, it will be necessary to prick up the first coat with 3 parts of sand to 1 of lime, and to every 3 cubic feet of the mixture 1 lb. of well-beaten hair is added.”