queer up
C1 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To mess something up or make it go wrong.
Literal meaning: To make something strange or disordered — 'queer' originally meant odd or wrong.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
informal
To spoil, ruin, or disrupt something, typically plans or arrangements.
"The unexpected rain queered up all our plans for an outdoor wedding reception."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Uses an older sense of 'queer' as a verb meaning to spoil or put out of order (as in the established idiom 'queer someone's pitch'). Now very rare and potentially confusing given the modern, reclaimed use of 'queer' in LGBTQ+ contexts. Speakers should be aware that this form is outdated and may be misunderstood. More common in early 20th-century British English.
Commonly used with
plans pitch deal arrangement chances
Forms
Base
queer up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
queers up
he/she/it
Past simple
queered up
yesterday
Past participle
queered up
have + pp
-ing form
queering up
continuous
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