U.
— the U. (colloq.): university >She’s taking a night class at the U.
UBER
— uber (ū´bәr) (sl.): extreme, complete, excessive (also adv.) >She’s an uber Catholic who goes to mass every day. >Bart’s uber paranoid—he’s convinced everyone’s out to get him.
ÜBER
— über (see UBER)
U-EY
— pull/make a U-ey (... yū´ē) (sl.): make a U-turn >Just pull a U-ey and head back.
U.F.O.
** U.F.O. (colloq.): unidentified flying object, flying saucer >He swears a U.F.O. landed in his backyard.
UGLIER
— uglier than sin (sl.): very ugly >If ya ask me, his paintings are uglier than sin.
UGLY
— (as) ugly as sin (sl.): very ugly >Her husband’s ugly as sin, but he sure is nice.
UH
* uh oh! (u´ō´) (colloq.): (interj. to express dismay when noting a neg. occurrence) >Uh oh! The electricity just went off. >Uh oh! I guess I just ruined the surprise.
UH-HUH
** uh-huh (u hu´/ũ hũ´) (colloq.): yes >Uh-huh—it’s fine with me.
UH-UH
— uh-uh (u´u/ũ´ũ) (see “HUH-UH”)
UMP
* ump (ump) (colloq.): umpire (in sports) (also voc.) >It was a close play, but the ump called him out. >You need glasses, ump!
UMPTEEN
* umpteen (ump´tēn´) (sl.): innumerable, very many >I can give ya umpteen reasons why ya shouldn’t go there.
UMPTEENTH
* umpteenth (ump´tēnth´) (sl.): of a large number in succession >I’m tellin’ ya for the umpteenth time to keep quiet!
UNCLE
— say/cry uncle (sl.): surrender, concede defeat >Say uncle or I’ll twist your arm harder!
UNCLE SAM
* Uncle Sam (colloq.): the United States, the United States government >They get theirselves in debt, then expect Uncle Sam to help them out.
UNCOOL
— uncool (sl.): behaviorally undesirable, unstylish, unsophisticated >Yellin’ at your date like that was definitely uncool.
UNDER
— get under [s/one’s] skin (see SKIN)
— hot under the collar (see HOT)
— keep [s/thing] under [one’s] hat (see KEEP)
— out from under (see OUT)
— (just) under the wire (see WIRE)
— (right) under [s/one’s] (very) nose (see NOSE)
— six feet under (see SIX)
— throw [s/one] under the bus (see THROW)
— under (the/[one’s]) ... (see entry under ... noun)
UNDER-THE-TABLE
* under-the-table (colloq.): secret, clandestine (esp. business deals) (cf. “under the TABLE”) >He acquired it in an under-the-table deal with some shady company downtown.
UNDIES
* undies (un´dēz) (colloq.): underwear >It was so hot I just sat in front of a fan in my undies.
UNGLUED
* come unglued (sl.): lose emotional control, become very upset or frantic >When Mack saw his wife smiling at another man, he came unglued.
UNHAPPY
— happy/unhappy camper (see CAMPER)
UNLOAD
* unload (vt) (colloq.): get rid of >I want to unload this piece of junk. >See if you can unload that clown and I’ll show you a good time. >Don’t unload that report on me.
* unload (on) (sl.): relieve (oneself) (of worries, tension, etc.) by talking (to) >Whenever Brenda’s feelin’ anxious, she unloads on me. >He’s stressed out—he needs to see a shrink and unload.
UNPACK
— unpack (vt) (colloq.): analyze, explain >The commentator was trying to unpack the Senate’s latest proposal.
UNREAL
* unreal (colloq.): extraordinary, fantastic >The lush vegetation in Hawaii is unreal. >Unreal, man! Did you see that shot he made?
UNWIND
** unwind (un wīnd) (vi) (colloq.): relax, get rid of (one’s) tension or anxiety >A glass of wine helps me unwind at the end of the day.
UP
* up (colloq.): very positive, warranting optimism >It’s been an up day—lots of good things happened.
* be up1 (colloq.): be going on, be happening >I could tell something big was up by the look on their faces. >What’s up? Why all the commotion?
* be up2 (colloq.): be cheerful or elated >Tricia’s really up today because she found out she made the team.
* be up3 (colloq.): be in working order (esp. after a breakdown) >I’ll finish when the computer system’s back up. >The repairman finally got the second unit up.
* be/feel up to (colloq.): be/feel able to engage in, be/feel disposed or inclined to >I’m not up to a game of tennis right now. >Do you feel up to painting the house today?
— drive [s/one] up the/a wall (see DRIVE)
— have ... up the ass (see ASS)
— have ... up the ying-yang (see YING-YANG)
— have ... up the wazoo (see WAZOO)
— [for s/one’s] number [to] be up (see NUMBER)
* on the up and up (colloq.): honest, sincere, legitimate (also adv.) >Stop worrying! The deal’s on the up and up. >Let’s do this on the up and up to keep the auditors happy.
— (right) up/down [s/one’s] alley (see ALLEY)
* (right) up there (colloq.): among the best, one of the leaders >I don’t know if it’s the best restaurant in town, but it’s right up there.
— somebody/someone up there (see SOMEBODY)
— swear up and down (see SWEAR)
— ... up (colloq.): (tied) ... to ..., ... each (a score) >It’s nineteen up, with two minutes left to play.
— ... up a storm (see STORM)
— up a tree (see TREE)
— up and ... (colloq.): ... suddenly or unexpectedly >Uncle Jeb just up and died last year.
* up and at ‘em! (... әm) (colloq.): get up and get started! >Up and at ‘em, boys! It’s daylight and we got work to do.
* up for (colloq.): enthusiastic and ready for, excited to engage in >The team’s really up for the game today.
— up for grabs (see GRABS)
** up front (colloq.): paid in advance >We got to have twenty percent up front before we even start a job.
— up [one’s] game (colloq.): perform better, try harder, become more competitive >You’ve got to up your game if you’re want to have a chance at that award.
— up in the air (see AIR)
** up on (colloq.): well-informed about, up-to-date in (one’s) knowledge about >I try to keep up on what’s going on in the world. >Are you up on this new inventory tracking software?
— up shit creek (see SHIT)
— up [one’s] sleeve (see SLEEVE)
— up the ante (colloq.): put more at risk, become more audacious >At first he just yelled at his neighbor, but then he upped the ante by threatening to sue him.
— up the creek (without a paddle) (see CREEK)
— up tight (see “UPTIGHT”)
— up to ([one’s]) ... (see entry under ... word)
— up your ass! (see ASS)
— up yours! (see YOURS)
UPBEAT
— upbeat (colloq.): cheerful, optimistic >Give me an upbeat song over a sad one any day. >You can’t get him down—he’s a real upbeat guy.
UPCHUCK
— upchuck (vi, vt) (sl.): vomit >I feel like I’m gonna upchuck after that roller-coaster ride. >She upchucked the hotdog she bought from a street vendor.
UP-FRONT
* up-front (colloq.): straightforward, frank >I like an up-front guy—you always know what he thinks. >I’ve been up-front with you, so you do the same with me.
UPPER
* upper1 (up´әr) (sl.): stimulant drug (esp. an amphetamine in pill form) >He took a couple of uppers to stay awake, but he’s gonna come down anytime now.
— upper2 (sl.): experience that causes elation or cheerfulness >George is really a great guy—bein’ around him’s an upper. >Seein’ that poor kid walk again was a real upper.
UPPER CRUST
* upper crust (colloq.): highest social class >Very exclusive restaurant—only the upper crust eats there.
UPPER-CRUST
— upper-crust (colloq.): of the highest social class, snobbish >Some upper-crust dame just walked in and started ordering everyone around.
UPPITY
— uppity (up´i tē) (colloq.): snobbish, haughty, presumptuous (also adv.) >His uppity in-laws are always putting on airs. >Don’t you talk uppity to me!
UPROAR
— get [one’s] bowels in an uproar (see BOWELS)
UPSCALE
— upscale (colloq.): high-class, elegant, posh >This street has all the expensive, upscale shops.
UPSIDE
— upside (colloq.): positive side, pros (of a situation or matter) (cf. “DOWNSIDE”) >The upside of his proposal is that it would give us the freedom to act, but the downside is that we’ll have to take the blame if something goes wrong.
UPSTAIRS
* upstairs1 (sl.): mentally, in the brain >Ya gotta understand the poor guy ain’t too sharp upstairs.
— upstairs2 (sl.): at a high level of power or authority >We’ll have to let the execs upstairs see this before we act on it.
— the Man upstairs (see MAN)
UPSY-DAISY
— upsy-daisy! (up´sē dā´zē) (colloq.): (interj. used when lifting s/one up to reassure him/her, esp. a child) >Ready, Patty? OK, hold on. Now, upsy-daisy!
UPTIGHT
* uptight1 (sl.): tense, nervous, angry >Don’t be so uptight, man—everything’s cool. >The teacher got real uptight when Debbie talked back to him.
* uptight2 (sl.): overly formal or concerned about conventions >Some uptight old lady got real mad when I said “shit.”
UPTOWN
— uptown (colloq.): high-class, stylish, elegant >Man, you guys got real uptown accommodations here.
USE
* use (vi) (sl.): regularly take (illegal or addictive drugs) >He denies it, but I know he uses—just look at his eyes.
U-Y
— pull/make a U-y (see “pull/make a U-EY”)