up the river

English

Etymology

A reference to Sing Sing prison, which is located on the Hudson river, to the north of (and upstream from) New York City.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

up the river

1. (US, idiomatic) To prison.
   • 1990 July 21, “Pete Rose: He doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame”, in Dallas Morning News, retrieved 23 September 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.

Usage notes

• Often preceded by the verb to send.

See also

• Thesaurus:jail