ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fit up

phr. v..
C2 Proficiency Oxford British English Informal Slang

phr. v.. to make someone look guilty of a crime by using fake evidence.

phr. v.. to incriminate someone by means of fabricated evidence; primarily used in British English legal or criminal contexts.


SIMPLE

He claims the police fit him up for the robbery.

CONTEXTUAL

The detective was accused of trying to fit up a local man to close the case quickly.

COMPLEX

The defense argued that the forensic evidence had been planted in a deliberate attempt to fit up the defendant for a crime he did not commit.

Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
fit + object + up
Usage

usually used in the passive voice or with a person as the direct object.

Teaching tip

this is a highly specific British slang term; contrast it with the American 'frame' to show regional variation in crime vocabulary.

Pitfall

They fit up him.They fit him up.when the object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and the particle.

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