hold up etymology

Etymology:

"Hold up" is an idiomatic phrase that originated in the early 19th century. It is believed to have derived from two separate phrases:

• "Hold back": To prevent something from moving forward or progressing.
• "Up your game": To improve or increase one's performance or effort.

Over time, these phrases merged to form "hold up," which took on the meaning of "to stop or delay something."

Meaning:

"Hold up" has several meanings, depending on the context in which it is used:

1. To stop or delay: - "The traffic held up our commute." - "Hold up the line while I look for my keys."

2. To rob or mug: - "He was held up at gunpoint and robbed of his wallet." - "The bank was held up by a group of armed men."

3. To wait or be patient: - "Hold up a minute, I'll be right back." - "Can you hold up on that project for a few days?"

Origin:

The earliest known use of "hold up" appeared in the 1820s in the United States. It was initially used in the sense of "to stop or delay," particularly in the context of horse racing. By the 1840s, it had also gained the meaning of "to rob or mug," which is still in use today.

The exact origin of the phrase is unclear, but it is likely that it evolved through informal language and slang.

hold up relate terms

• hold

  Etymology Old English healdan Proto West Germanic haldan Proto Germanic haldaną P

• behold

  Etymology Origin Old English behaldan from Proto Germanic bihanthaldiz derived fr

• beholden

  Etymology Old English behalden meaning to hold in regard Old English be intens

• sustain

  Etymology Latin sustinēre to hold up sustain endure Proto Indo European steh₂

• sustentation

  Etymology French soutènement from soutenir to sustain Latin sustentāre from sus

• entertain

  Etymology Derivatives of the word entertain include Old French entartenir to hol

• epoch

  Etymology Derived from the Ancient Greek word epokhē ἐποχή meaning suspens

• maintain

  Etymology Derived from the Old French word maintenir which means to hold keep or

• stem

  Etymology Stem comes from the Old English word stemn meaning main trunk of a tree o

• heave

  Etymology Middle English from late 14th century from Middle Dutch heven Old Saxon heb

• mushroom

  Etymology The word mushroom has its origins in the Old French word mouscheron which

• fiscal

  Etymology The word fiscal comes from the Latin word fiscus which referred to a baske

• intuitive

  Etymology Latin intuere to gaze at consider understand Intuitio a looking at