stand up, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

stand up v.

1. in senses of ‘leaving someone standing’.

(a) to refuse to pay a debt or bill.

1876		St Louis Globe-Democrat 19 Jan. n.p.: He is told by his equally ‘busted’ companions to ‘stand him up,’ [i.e. a bartender] ‘give him the slip,’ ‘put up your educated forefinger at him’.
1882		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 11 Mar. 7/2: [He] ordered the best room In the house with Ihe shrewd ulterior design of ‘standing up’ mine host .

(b) (US und.) to rob, e.g. a train, an individual in the street.

1885

Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 28 Nov. 9: [pic. caption] Stript To The Skin. Two Brooklyn Nymphs of the Highway ‘Stand-up’ a Little Five Year-old Urchin [Ibid] 19 Dec. 14/1: It is about time for some Jesse James to ‘stand up’ the far western trains.

1887		Abilene Reflector (KS) 19 May 7/3: The ‘chippy chaser,’ if successful in making the clandestine acquaintance he seeks, and in making an appointment for some future evening, is, as a rule, ‘stood up’ .
1906		‘O. Henry’ ‘The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein’ Four Million (1915) 122: It’s five hours yet till the time, and I’m afraid she’ll stand me up when it comes to the scratch.
1924		O.O. McIntyre New York Day by Day 13 Feb. [synd. col.] I, too, have been ‘stood up.’ Let us be disappointed together.
1931		D. Runyon ‘Hold ’Em, Yale!’ Runyon on Broadway (1954) 149: Here is a little doll who is stood up by her guy.
1940		R. Chandler Farewell, My Lovely (1949) 195: Are you aware, my good fellow, that you stood me up for an hour the other night?
1950		P. Hoskins No Hiding Place! 192/1: Stood me up. Broke the appointment.
1953		L. Uris Battle Cry (1964) 210: Olga is going to think I stood her up.
1965		C. Brown Manchild in the Promised Land (1969) 394: Baby, I couldn’t help standing you up.
1974		G.F. Newman You Flash Bastard 85: No great powers on Sneed’s part were needed to deduce that she was waiting tensely for a call, and had probably been stood up.
1989		Pileggi & Scorsese Goodfellas [film script] 32: When Friday night came around, Henry stood me up.
1996		J. Cameron It Was An Accident 31: Your Kelly gone and stood you up for a little German fucker.
2000		Indep. Rev. 17 Feb. 11: On Thursday Alice and Dale stood us up.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 208: Stood up, stiffed, dropped dry, and jilted.

(d) (US black) to treat someone as second-rate, unimportant.

1944		Cab Calloway New Hepsters Dict. in Calloway (1976) 260: stand one up (v.): to play one cheap, to assume one is a cut-rate.
1944		‘Jiver’s Bible’ in D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive.

(e) to keep someone waiting.

1949

N. Algren Man with the Golden Arm 64: Standing her up for half an hour in front of the Pulaski.

2. in senses of ‘standing up tall’.

(a) (US) to hold out for, to exert pressure on.

1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 19 Oct. 2/1: A popular practice of the ladies of Whitechapel, London, is to demand money, and upon refusal charge the man who refuses to be ‘stood up’ as being Jack the Ripper.
1912		Van Loan ‘Little Sunset’ in Ten-Thousand-Dollar Arm 98: What’s biting you? Tryin’ to stand ’em up for more money?
1978		(con. 1965) J. Carroll The Basketball Diaries 86: So the black cop is standing up to Mike and told him to step out.

(b) (orig. US) to withstand pressure, esp. police questioning or criminal intimidation.

1924		D. Hammett ‘Zigzags of Treachery’ in Nightmare Town (2001) 123: I was sure that she would stand up under any sort of an investigation.
1937		J. Curtis You’re in the Racket, Too 85: Skivvies often shopped a bloke though. They never seemed to be able to stand up against a bogey.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 208/2: Stand up, v. [...] 2. To hold to one’s testimony under fire. [...] . 4. To prove steadfast and loyal.
1955		B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 175: You stand up and I’ll stand up with you.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 192: If she stands up, you got a whore and some real scratch.
1977		E. Bunker Animal Factory 120: If a youngster would stand up, they’d pretty much leave him alone.
1983		P. Dexter Gods’s Pocket 269: ‘We want you to know we 'preciate you not talkin' to the cops. You stood up’.
2000		Lehr & O’Neill Black Mass 116: Bulger was not ‘one of us’ who would automatically stand up if caught.

3. (orig. US) to confess.

1975

E. Torres Carlito’s Way 31: Now how we know if he’s gonna stand up?

SE in slang uses

In phrases

stand up drinks (v.)

(Aus.) to set out drinks.

1941

Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.

stand upon one’s pantables (v.) (also stand upon one’s pantoufles) [SE pantofle (ult. Fr. pantoufle), a slipper, esp. one with a high heel and a built-up sole to make the wearer appear taller and more imposing]

to stand upon ceremony, to act in a dignified manner.

1580		A. Saker Narbonus II 99: Hee standeth upon his pantables, and regardeth greatly his pantables .
1590		R. Harvey Plaine Perceuall the peace-maker of England 14: One standing all vpon his pumps & pantables, will be aboue a Shomaker. Another mounts vpon a loftier Shop bourd then a Tailor, and wil be none otherwise termde then a shaper of garments forsooth.
1609		J. Calvin [trans.] The prophecie of Isaiah 459: [H]he might warne them [...] not to stand too much vpon their pantables, lest with shame and great dishonour, they againe receiued the iust reward of their ingratitude.
c.1616		Beaumont & Fletcher Faithful Friends III ii: Then comes a page: the saucy jacket-weaver Stood upon’s pantables with me, and would in: But, I think I took him down ere I had done with him .
1640		J. Stoughton Three sermons 55: [D]o not thou stand on thy pantables, as they say, but make amends, humble thy selfe before God, acknowledge the basenesse and vilenesse of thy spirit.
1654		J. Harwood The Lords Prayer unclasped 88: [H]e that stands upon his pantables, is never so high in his own conceit.
1665		C. Cotton Scarronides 44: Is now forsooth, so proud (what else!) / And stands so on her pantables,.
1669		R. L’Estrange Supplement of Fables (1692) CCCCXCIV 466: They stood upon their Pantoufles, that men they were, and that Men he should find ’em to be.
1675		R. Head The miss display’d 70: [S]he was extraordinary handsome, and that she knew right well, which made her stand somwhat the more upon her Pantables.
1683		A Whip for the Devil 11: the Exorciser must be careful that he stand to his Pantables, and that when he has laid any command upon the Devil, he never bate him.

stand (up) to one’s lick-log (salt or no salt) (v.) [SAmE lick-log, a notched log (occas. a wooden trough) used to hold salt for livestock]

(US) to stand by one’s decision come what may; thus come to the lick-log, to face up to a tough decision.

1834		D. Crockett Narrative of the Life of D.C. (1934) 170: I was determined to stand up to my lick-log, salt or no salt.
1840		T. Haliburton Clockmaker III 175: I like a man to be up to the notch, and stand to his lick-log; salt or no salt.
1853		T. Haliburton Sam Slick’s Wise Saws II 166: Stand up to your lick-log like a man, be they conservatives or liberals.
1860		T. Haliburton Season Ticket 237: I like to see a fellow stand up to his lick-log like a man.
1905		Twice-a-Week Messenger (Owensbrook, KY) 10 Jan. 9/3: [of a dental extraction] ‘I lack the nerve to walk up to the lick-log and have it over’.
1929		Tennessean (Nashville, TN) 8 Nov. 4/4: He ‘builds fires’ under sentaors; forces them to the ‘lick log’.
1942		G.S. Perry Texas 135: To bring him to taw; to make him ‘come up to the lick-log’ [DARE].

stand (up) to one’s/the rack (v.)

see come up to the rack (or jump the fence) under come up v.¹