up sticks

idiom british

The phrase "up sticks" is a British English idiom with roots in both sailing and everyday life, commonly used to describe the act of moving or leaving abruptly.

🇺🇸 US Voice:

🇬🇧 UK Voice:

Definition

B2Everyday Life

(informal, colloquial)To pack up one's belongings and move to a different location.

Example

After living in London for ten years, they decided to up sticks and move to the countryside.

C1Sailing

(technical, slang)To raise the mast of a ship in preparation for sailing.

Example

The crew worked quickly to up sticks as the wind picked up.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "up sticks":

pull up stumps stick up stick down the sticks up the stump stick to foot stick stick with stand up stick out stick together stiff up flat stick shit sticks dead stick up the pole sticky bit kick up pluck up