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on the up-and-up

(informal, idiomatic) Legitimate; honest; upright.

ˈɑn ðə əˈpɑnˌdʌpDocumented since 1860sSilenthistorical137 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
2 definitions
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Etymology timeline

Born ~1863 · no dated citations yet
1863BornToday, 2026

Definitions

UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK

(informal, idiomatic) Legitimate; honest; upright.

Before paying any money, make sure the organization is on the up-and-up.
Origin: First use appears in the US c. 1863. Its exact origins are uncertain, but it is theorized to have originated in sports betting. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

"on the up-and-up" means: Legitimate; honest; upright.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"on the up-and-up" means: Legitimate; honest; upright.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.

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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK

(UK, informal, idiomatic) Becoming more successful; on the rise.

You double-cross me, you son of a bitch. I bet English gave you a sawbuck so he could take her out and give her a jump, and you sit back there collecting fifty bucks from me becuss I'm sap enough to think you're on the up-and-up with me.
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For specific readers

"on the up-and-up" means: Legitimate; honest; upright.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

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UK

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UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.

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