Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(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.

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.

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’.

(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.

(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.

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’.
2020		A. Parks Bobby March Will Live Forever 138: ‘Bit too snobby for me, bit up herself’.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

2006

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

(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.

(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.

(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.’.

see separate entries.