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Meaning & use

turn-up

noun·AdvancedBritishinformal

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UK/ˈtɜːn ʌp/
US/ˈtɝːn ʌp/

Meanings

  1. nouncountableBritishinformal

    A surprising event or development, especially a pleasantly unexpected one.

    Grammar: Usually in the phrase a turn-up for the books: the result was a real turn-up.

    Patterns

    • a turn-up for the books

    It was a turn-up for the books when the shy new boy won the race.

    Her phone call was quite a turn-up after ten years of silence.

    The cup final produced a turn-up as the underdogs won.

  2. nouncountableBritish

    The folded-up edge at the bottom of a trouser leg.

    Grammar: British English; Americans call it a cuff. Usually plural: trousers with turn-ups.

    Patterns

    • trousers with turn-ups

    He found sand in the turn-ups of his trousers.

    The tailor made turn-ups two inches deep.

    Wet leaves collected in the turn-ups of her jeans.

Word forms

pluralturn-ups

Common combinations

a turn-up for the books
It was a turn-up for the books when the tiny club beat the champions.
trouser turn-ups
Rain splashed up his trouser turn-ups.
a nice turn-up
A free upgrade was a nice turn-up.
pleasant turn-up
Her early arrival was a pleasant turn-up.
turn-ups on jeans
He rolled the turn-ups on his jeans before wading in the stream.

Synonyms and how they differ

surprise
Surprise is the plain, general word, while turn-up is informal British and implies a twist in events.
upset
Upset describes an unexpected defeat in sport, whereas turn-up can be any surprising development.
cuff
Cuff is the American word for the folded trouser hem and also covers the end of a sleeve.
twist
Twist describes an unexpected turn in a story or events, and it is closer to a plot change than to a lucky event.

Opposites

expectation

Word family

turn up phrasal verb
to arrive or appear, or to increase volume
turned-up adjective
folded or bent upward, as in a turned-up collar
turnup noun
a variant spelling without the hyphen
turnout noun
the number of people who attend or vote

Commonly confused: turn-up or turnout?

turn-up vs turnout

Turnout is the number of people who attend an event or vote. A turn-up is a surprise or the cuff on trousers.

Practice

The unknown local band beating the famous headliners in the vote was a real ___ for the books.

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