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UP IN ARMS definition: angry or upset: . Learn more.
Angry, rebellious, as in The town was up in arms over the state's plan to allow commercial flights at the air base . This idiom originally referred to an armed rebellion and was so used from the late 1500s. Its figurative use dates from about 1700.
a human upper limb; especially : the part between the shoulder and the wrist; something like or corresponding to an arm: such as… See the full definition
Meaning of be up in arms in English. be up in arms. idiom informal. Add to word list. to be very angry: They're up in arms about the new management structure. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Angry and displeased. acridly. acrimoniously. aggrieved. amused. fed up to the back teeth idiom. fired up. fit to be tied idiom. fractiously.
What's the meaning of the phrase 'Up in arms'? Roused; incensed. What's the origin of the phrase 'Up in arms'? The original usage of ‘up in arms’ was entirely literal. To be ‘in arms’ or ‘at arms’ was to be equipped with weapons and armour. The first known use of ‘up in arms’ in print is in Arthur Golding’s translation of Lyfe of Shatilion, 1576:
angry or upset: The union is up in arms over the reduction in health benefits. (Definition of up in arms from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) C1.
1. Fig. in armed rebellion. (*Typically: be ~; get ~ .) The entire population is up in arms. They are up in arms, ready to fight. 2. Fig. very angry. (Fig. on {2}, but without weapons. *Typically: be ~; get ~.) Wally was up in arms about the bill for the broken window. I am really up in arms about what happened. See also: arm, up.
