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Nov 22, 2023 · The phrase “up the river” is a U.S. slang term that means “in prison.” The origin and history of the idiom are tied to the American penal system. It was first used in the context of being “in prison” in 18911, referring to Sing Sing prison located up the Hudson River from New York City.
May 27, 2012 · If you ever watch any gangster films from the 1930’s or 40’s, one of the lines of dialogue that always pops up is: “up the river.” Somebody would utter it: a criminal; prosecutor; police officer; or a fellow gangster.
Up the River is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by John Ford, and starring Claire Luce, Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart. The plot concerns escaped convicts, as well as a female convict.
Any criminal convicted in a New York court and sentenced to be imprisoned there was sent “up the river.” The phrase, made popular in gangster movies, began to be applied to other prisons in the country, whether or not the cells boasted of a river view.
To or in prison, as in They sent him up the river for five years . This phrase originally referred to Sing-Sing Prison, on the Hudson River about 30 miles north of New York City. So used from about 1890 on, it was broadened to apply to any prison by the early 1900s. Discover More.
The phrase “up the river” is a commonly used idiom in English language, which is often used to describe a situation where someone has been sent to prison or jail. This idiom has its roots in the history of transportation and commerce along rivers, where goods were transported upstream for trade.
Oct 3, 2022 · What does Up the River mean? Up the River – not to be confused with Up the River Without a Paddle , used for an unfortunate situation – is a popular colloquial phrase, applied to describe someone as having been sent to prison.
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