Meaning & use
up sticks
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Meanings
phraseidiominformalBritish
To suddenly leave the place where you live or work, especially to move somewhere else.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; the tense is shown on 'up': they upped sticks and left.
Patterns
- up sticks and leave
- up sticks and move to somewhere
- up sticks from somewhere
They upped sticks and moved to the coast last spring.
After twenty years in the city, she upped sticks and went to live abroad.
Half the team upped sticks when the new manager arrived.
phraseidiominformalBritish
To pack up your belongings and prepare to move away from a place.
Grammar: Often followed by 'and' plus another verb: up sticks and go.
Patterns
- up sticks and go
- up sticks and start again
We upped sticks and started again in a smaller town.
They upped sticks in the middle of the night.
Common combinations
- up sticks and leave
- He upped sticks and left without telling anyone.
- up sticks and move
- They upped sticks and moved to Scotland.
- up sticks for good
- She upped sticks for good after the divorce.
- up sticks from somewhere
- The family upped sticks from London in 2010.
Synonyms and how they differ
- move away
- Neutral and general; it does not suggest the suddenness or the 'packing up' idea of 'up sticks'.
- relocate
- More formal and often used about jobs or companies rather than a sudden personal decision.
- pack up
- Focuses on putting things in boxes; 'up sticks' adds the idea of leaving the place for good.
Opposites
Commonly confused: up sticks or up sticks?
up sticks vs up sticks
Learners sometimes write 'up sticks' as one word ('upsticks'), but the standard written form is two words.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'up sticks' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The tense is marked on 'up', so the past is 'upped sticks'. 'Up sticksed' wrongly adds the past ending to 'sticks', and 'have up sticks' uses the wrong form after 'have'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “up sticks”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.