Phrasal verb
grass up
Definition
phrasal verb. to tell the police or someone in charge that another person has done something wrong. You use this when you think someone is being a 'snitch' or a 'rat'.
phrasal verb. to inform on someone to the authorities; marked British informal / slang, often carrying a negative connotation of betrayal within a peer group.
Examples
“He refused to grass up his friends to the teacher.”
“The thief was caught after his partner decided to grass him up to the police for a reward.”
“In certain communities, the social pressure not to grass up one's neighbours remains significantly stronger than the fear of legal repercussions.”
Examples
simple
“He refused to grass up his friends to the teacher.”
contextual
“The thief was caught after his partner decided to grass him up to the police for a reward.”
complex
“In certain communities, the social pressure not to grass up one's neighbours remains significantly stronger than the fear of legal repercussions.”
Usage
usually followed by an object (the person being reported) and often used with 'on'.
Teaching tip
this is a highly regional British term; compare it with the American 'snitch on' or 'rat out' to show how different dialects handle the concept of informing.
Pitfall
He grassed up to the police.
He grassed them up to the police.
this phrasal verb usually requires an object to specify who is being informed on.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
grass + object + up
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/grass-up