English

Adverb

up and ‎(not comparable)

1. (colloquial) Abruptly; unexpectedly.
   • 1932, Erskine Caldwell, Tobacco Road‎, page 168:

     I knowed then why she up and went there, because Ada told me.

   • 1990, Archie Weller, “Johnny Blue”, in Going home: stories‎, page 41:

     When he saw me hand and face, he up and goes for the head's office before I can say 'struth' and, by the time I can get after him, it's too late.

   • 2001, Charles G. Roland, Long night's journey into day: prisoners of war in Hong Kong and Japan, 1941 ...‎, page 193:

     a friend of mine who, within ten days, said 'I've had enough of this' and he just up and died. It seemed he wished himself to die.

Related terms

• up (verb)
• up and leave

Anagrams

• Pandu