fess up to
phr. v..phr. v.. to admit that you did something wrong or made a mistake.
phr. v.. to confess or acknowledge a fault, error, or minor crime; an informal phrasal verb often used when the admission was previously avoided.
You should just fess up to breaking the vase.
After the manager questioned everyone in the office, Sarah finally decided to fess up to the mistake in the report.
Although the evidence was purely circumstantial, the suspect eventually chose to fess up to his involvement in the prank to avoid a harsher penalty.
usually followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form) representing the mistake.
explain that 'fess' is a shortened, informal version of 'confess'; it is best used for minor social errors rather than serious legal crimes.
He fessed up his mistake.He fessed up to his mistake.the preposition 'to' is required when naming the specific action or mistake being admitted.