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According to Oxford Dictionary, 'rustle' means to make a soft, muffled crackling sound like that caused by the movement of dry leaves or paper.
The same dictionary says that 'rustle up' means to produce something quickly when it is needed.
My question is, why is the meaning so different just by adding 'up' after 'rustle'?
"Up" when yoked to a verb conveys the idea of "completion" or "completeness" although most speakers aren't consciously aware of this aspect of the resulting verb, and may think in terms of space and direction (ascent, rising) if asked to explain the verb.
We can size up a person or a situation. To assess the person from head to toe or to assess the situation in its entirety.
We can rustle up some grub. To put a few ingredients together hastily to produce a meal.
We can tie a package up. To fasten it securely, not incompletely so that it could work itself loose during shipping and handling.
She rudely told me to shut up. To close my mouth completely and to keep it closed (no more words from me).
He walked up to the girl. He walked not just towards her but all the way to where she was, so that they were face-to-face and within normal speaking distance.
The relevant sense comes under OED's definition section II, headed ...
To be active, to make efforts; to acquire or gather something energetically
...which is first recorded in 1835 as Get up, rouse and rustle about, and get away from these scores. Interestingly, that's the same year the sense Of livestock: to search for food, to forage; to graze was first recorded. The meaning To round up and steal (cattle, horses, etc.) wasn't recorded until 1886.
The exact sense to hunt out; (freq. in later use) to put together (a dish or meal). Now usu. with up. is first recorded (somewhat "marginally", I feel) in 1844 as He nailed my thumb in his jaws, and rostled [sic] up a handful of dirt & throwed it in my eyes. But OED's next citation isn't until 1890...
I was out one day after antelope (I ‘rustled’ all my meat, except a ham now and then as a luxury).
Given that the surreptitiously steal cattle sense was already "established" by then, I'm tempted to see that as closer to the intended sense above. But I think it's a good example of a usage showing part of the transition rustle = make a quiet noise => [quietly] gather together => gather together [food].
Note that OED only says this sense usually involves up. So, for example, I'll rustle some breakfast isn't actually "wrong" - it's just that most people would usually include the preposition.
