Idiom idiom
on the up-and-up
Meaning
Legitimate; honest; upright.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“This deal is on the up-and-up, I promise.”
“Before investing, make sure the company is on the up-and-up and not hiding anything.”
“Though his methods seemed unconventional, years of scrutiny proved the lawyer had always been on the up-and-up.”
Origin
first recorded 19th c. disputed origin
first recorded 19th c. disputed origin
First use appears in the US c. 1863. Its exact origins are uncertain, but it is theorized to have originated in sports betting.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026