queen up
In chess, to turn your pawn into a queen. In everyday slang, to become powerful and bold, like a queen taking charge.
Meanings
In chess, to advance a pawn to the opponent's back rank and promote it to a queen.
"He sacrificed his bishop just to give his pawn a clear path to queen up on the final rank."
Informally, to assert oneself with full confidence, power, and authority; to step into one's power.
"After years of being overlooked, she decided it was time to queen up and demand the promotion she deserved."
Has two main uses: (1) a chess term meaning to promote a pawn to queen rank upon reaching the opponent's back rank; (2) informal/slang, sometimes used in LGBTQ+ or feminist contexts as an empowering call to action — similar to 'man up' but reclaimed and gender-inclusive. The chess sense is the more established use.
Commonly used with
Forms
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