to watchet up

[Unregistered]

I would like to know what does that mean in the following context:

"The amount of concern and urgency from the Detroit companies has increased in the last month and signicantly ratched up what they're communicating..."

Thank you in advance.

[Anglika]

Your title is spelled wrong!

To ratchet something up/down = cause (something) to rise (or fall) as a step in an irreversible process; to increase/decrease something over a period of time. Derives from the a part of a machine which allows movement in one direction only. It is usually a wheel with teeth-like parts which either slide over or lock against the free end of a bar.