1 B2 idiomatic slang
(Noun: piss-up) A social occasion involving heavy drinking.
"The office Christmas party turned into a complete piss-up by eight o'clock."
piss up
B2 slang separable transitive/intransitive
A heavy drinking session; or (less commonly) to ruin or spoil something.
In plain English
A party or event where people drink a lot of alcohol, or to make a mess of something.
What does "piss up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic slang
To ruin or spoil something through incompetence or carelessness.
"He completely pissed up the presentation by forgetting to bring the slides."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To urinate upward — the 'up' suggests excess, mirroring the idiom of drinking until you need to urinate.
Actually means
A party or event where people drink a lot of alcohol, or to make a mess of something.
Usage tip
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.
Words that pair with "piss up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
brewery organize Friday night birthday work do
How to conjugate "piss up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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
Hear "piss up" in the wild
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Other ways to say "piss up"
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