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on the up-and-up
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Idioms and Phrases
Open and honest, as in Dad has always been on the up-and-up with them . The precise allusion in this term is unknown. [ Colloquial ; c. 1860]Advertisement
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More About On The Up And Up
What does on the up-and-up mean?
On the up-and-up is a phrase that describes something as being open and honest, without any lying or cheating, as in Malik wondered whether the gamble house was on the up-and-up or if it was cheating its customers.
A person who is described as on the up-and-up is being honest, as in The salesman was always on the up-and-up with potential clients.
Example: The insurance company hires investigators to ensure claims are on the up-and-up and the insured isn’t trying to cheat the company.
Where does on the up-and-up come from?
The first records of on the up-and-up come from around 1860. It is a conversational expression, and it is unknown what the phrase is indirectly referring to.
You’re likely to use on the up-and-up when you are suspicious about someone or something or when you are reassuring someone else that you are being honest. For this reason, on the up-and-up is likely to be used in reference to things like gambling, business, or politics, which have greater potential for dishonesty and cheating.
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How is on the up-and-up used in real life?
People use on the up-and-up when they are suspicious of something or when an investigation has been performed.
I'm so giddy from exhaustion that I think I will provide all my account info to "Pya Pal." I'm sure it's on the up-and-up.
— Laura Lippman (@LauraMLippman) February 6, 2015
Guys I don’t think this Trump fella is on the up and up.
— Matt Blankman (@blankemon) November 9, 2020
I'm not saying all the massage places in Redondo Beach are shady, but there's waaaaay too many of them to be on the up and up.
— Heather Poole (@Heather_Poole) January 7, 2016
Try using on the up-and-up!
Is on the up-and-up used correctly in the following sentence?
We were startled to learn that our favorite coffee shop hadn’t been on the up-and-up and had been swindling customers for years.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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