piss up

B2 slang separable both

In simple words

A party or event where people drink a lot of alcohol, or to make a mess of something.

Literal meaning: To urinate upward — the 'up' suggests excess, mirroring the idiom of drinking until you need to urinate.

Meanings

1 B2 idiomatic slang

common

(Noun: piss-up) A social occasion involving heavy drinking.

"The office Christmas party turned into a complete piss-up by eight o'clock."

2 C1 idiomatic slang

rare

To ruin or spoil something through incompetence or carelessness.

"He completely pissed up the presentation by forgetting to bring the slides."

Grammar: separable

Usage notes

In British English, 'piss-up' (noun) is very common slang for any occasion involving heavy drinking. The famous phrase 'couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery' means someone is completely incompetent. As a verb meaning to ruin something, 'piss up' is less common than 'mess up' or 'screw up'. Vulgar in all senses.

Commonly used with

brewery organize Friday night birthday work do

Forms

Base

piss up

I/you/we/they

3rd person

pisses up

he/she/it

Past simple

pissed up

yesterday

Past participle

pissed up

have + pp

-ing form

pissing up

continuous

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Synonyms

booze-up drinking session bender pub crawl knees-up blowout

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