up, prep. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

up prep.

1. having sexual relations with; added implication in cite c.1850 is that the penis is ‘up’, i.e. erect.

a.1687		‘Whigs Exaltation’ in N. Thompson Choice Collection of 120 Loyal Songs 4: We’ll make their plump young Daughters fall, / And Hey Boys up go we.
1833		‘The Gape-Hole’ in Funny Songster in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) III 47: It’s all up, says Ni[c]k: / You lie, says Dick, / I’ll have nother run.
1839		Crim.-Con. Gaz. 6 Apr. 111/1: ‘Is your mistress up yet?’ asked the Beau of Sam. ‘Not yet,’ rejoined the Baron, ‘but I am’.
c.1850		Peeping Tom (London) #3 9: [pic. caption of young swell and barmaid] I like it well up, Miss, if you please! — You are like me, Sir; I could not take it if it was not!!
1888–94		‘Walter’ My Secret Life (1966) I 196: How well they understand the nature and wants of the man who is up them.
1973		(con. 1940s–60s) Hogbotel & ffuckes ‘Marriage a La Mode’ in Snatches and Lays 16: All day long he’s up lamp-posts, up lamp-posts, / And when he’s at home he’s up me.
1984		Benjamin & Pearl Limericks Down Under 96: From Boyanup to Nannup / She’d have any man up - / And any way up too, by golly.
1993		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read How to Shoot Friends 119: Half the jail was up the husband, so it was only fair that I got the wife.
2012		(con. 1943) G.S. Manson Irish Fandango [ebook] ‘Well, he got up him ... you know.’ ‘Come again?’ ‘He rooted him [...] he was foursquare up ’im!’.

2. of an object, offered, put in place.

1901		‘Hugh McHugh’ Down the Line 22: In a minute my fiver was up and I was on the card to win $500.
1953		E. Wilson Look Who’s Abroad Now 20: [W]e found it difficult to explain to him why we didn’t have up moolah.

3. at, e.g. up the market; occas. as adv., e.g. cit. 1938.

1938		X. Herbert Capricornia (1939) 126: Heard you’s up.
1958		F. Norman in Bristol Eve. Post 27 Nov. in Norman’s London (1969) 43: I was up the shpieler one night when the law raided the gaff.
1967		P. Thomas Down These Mean Streets (1970) 7: What a kid [...] He probably was up some friend’s house. I’m gonna talk to him in the daytime. It’s too late to make noise now.
1995		J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 6: Want someone extra up Chingford.
2001		N. Barlay Hooky Gear 297: Went up the Gatehouse in Edmonton for a 70s nite.

In phrases

up each other (adj.)

(Aus.) indulging in mutual flattery.

2000–02

Macquarie Dict. 🌐 5. up each other or up one another, behaving in a sycophantic or toadying fashion to each other.

up her like a rat up a drain(pipe) (also ...up a rhododendron)(orig. Aus.)

1. immediately involved in sexual intercourse, based on the assumption that a woman will be freely, easily and speedily sexually available to the speaker.

1961		G. Mill Nobody Dies But Me (2003) 93: ‘You rooting yours already?’ ‘Course I am. [...] Up her like a rat up a drainpipe, kid.’.
1963–74		B. Humphries Barry McKenzie [comic strip] in Complete Barry McKenzie (1988) 27: Up her like a rat up a drainpipe. [Ibid.] 33: I could be up that like a rat up a drain. [Ibid.] 93: I’ll be up her like a rat up a rhododendron.
1976		D. Ireland Glass Canoe (1982) 197: So the five of us were in it like rats up a drainpipe.
1996		Society of the Rusting Tardis Newsletter 22 Oct. 🌐 Martin’s glassy-eyed mutterings about his new-found girlfriend (‘I’d be up her like a rat up a drain.’).

2. (also like a rat down a drainpipe) in non-sexual contexts, suggesting speed.

2000		flazoom-com 29 Dec. 🌐 Of course when it comes to downloads those pages will be quicker than a rat up a drain pipe. But then that’s what usability ‘experts’ (read ‘fanatics’) want. Speed no matter how drab and innocuous.
2015		N. Cummins Tales of the Honey Badger [ebook] Like a rat down a drainpipe he was there.

up it (adj.)

1. (US) in trouble.

1907

C. Fowler letter 29 Dec. in Tomlinson Rocky Mountain Sailor (1998) 283: [U]nless I put in some pretty good licks during the time between now and January 20th, I’ll be up it.

2. highly emotional, at the end of one’s tether.

1927

(con. WW1) P. MacDonald Patrol 52: ‘He’s up it! Topper didn’t oughter argue wiv ’im; ’e’ll go pop’.

up one’s bum to the neck (adj.) [image of auto-sodomy]

(N.Z.) self-important.

2003

McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 222: up your bum to the neck Said of somebody with high regard for self.

up on oneself (adj.)

(US) proud.

1900

Cape Girardeau Democrat (MO) 5 May 7/2: I was feeling pretty chesty, and up on myself, ’long of ketchin’ this fish.

up oneself (adj.) [image of auto-sodomy]

1. (orig. Aus.) arrogant, self-satisfied, full of oneself.

1986		R.G. Barrett Godson 52: [of stand-offish girls] ‘They were a bit up themselves all right'.
1990		T. Winton Human Torpedo 12: You’re full of wind, youse blokes. City boys’re up ’emselves.
1999		Indep. on Sun. Real Life 7 Nov. 3: The majority of girls we meet are so far up themselves that they can’t see daylight, or they’re so thick it’s scary.
2005		P. Howard Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress 66: It’ll stop him getting too up himself.
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 84: He thought I was an over-educated, up-myself nancy boy.
2018		G. Disher Kill Shot [ebook] ‘Total prick. Completely up himself’.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

2006

G. Malkani Londonstani (2007) 236: Stop acting like one of those up-themselves coconuts.

who’s up who (and who’s paying the rent)?

(Aus.) phr./ inquiring as to the sexual and montary underpinnings of a situation.

1966		S. Baker Aus. Lang (2 edn) 172: who’s up who (and who’s paying the rent)? Just what is happening? Who’s in Control?
1971		F.J. Hardy Outcasts of Foolgarah 5: Nine to five [...] humble, lick-spittling, yes-sirring, but quick to learn the ins and outs of the who’s up who in the rule ridden dung-heap of local government.
1986		R. Beckett Dinkum Aussie Dict. 54: Up who: Short form of ‘who’s up who and who’s paying the rent?’ An expression of general bewilderment in a bewildering situation; one where no one is in control and matters are entirely out of hand.
2005		M. Latham Latham Diaries 187: He’s not interested in the small talk of Labor politics – who’s up whom, who’s rooting his secretary and all that.

wouldn’t know if someone/something was up one

(Aus.) a phr. used of a very stupid person, usu. a woman, as she wouldn’t know if someone was up her.

1961		G. Mill Nobody Dies But Me 70: He’s so wet he wouldn’t know if you were up him unless you coughed.
1972		Beresford & Humphries Adventures of Barry McKenzie [film] Those dozey bastards down at Oz House wouldn’t know if a tram was up ’em till the bell rang.
1986		R. Beckett Dinkum Aussie Dict. 57: wouldn’t know if a band were up him until he got the drum.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 234: wouldn’t know the postie was up her unless he blew his whistle.

In exclamations

up a flume!

(US) a dismissive, insulting excl.

1869

F. Whymper Travel and Adventure in Alaska 310: Listen to a quarrel in the streets: one calls the other a ‘regular dead beat!’ at which he, in return, threatens to ‘put a head on him!’ whereupon the first sneeringly retorts, ‘up a flume,’ the equivalent of a vulgar cockney’s ‘over the left.’.

up your arse!/jumper!

see separate entries.