Definify.com
Definition 2025
up_the_river
up the river
English
Adverb
up the river (not comparable)
- (US, idiomatic) To prison.
- 1990, "Pete Rose: He doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame," Dallas Morning News 21 July (retrieved 23 Sep. 2010):
- The former baseball player that Cincinnati idolized is being sent up the river to Ashland, Ky., to serve a prison term for cheating on his taxes.
- 1990, "Pete Rose: He doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame," Dallas Morning News 21 July (retrieved 23 Sep. 2010):
Usage notes
- Often preceded by the verb to send.
See also
- Wikisaurus:jail