up-and-up
up-and-up
UK[ˌʌp ən ˈʌp]US[ˌʌp ən ˈʌp]
n
A state of honesty and fair dealing.
n
A steady improvement or progress.
Etymology
The phrase 'up-and-up' is a modern English idiomatic compound, emerging in the late 19th to early 20th century. It is built upon the fundamental directional and metaphorical senses of the word 'up', which carries connotations of improvement, correctness, and uprightness. The reduplicative structure, repeating 'up', serves to intensify and solidify the meaning, transforming a simple directional term into an abstract noun denoting consistent honesty or continual progress. Its evolution reflects a common pattern in English where spatial prepositions are lexicalized into phrases describing moral or qualitative states.
Analysis
This is a reduplicative compound formed by repeating the adverb/preposition 'up'. The word 'up' originates from Old English 'up(p)', 'uppe', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'op' and German 'auf'.
Examples
You can trust him; he's always been on the up-and-up.
After the scandal, the new management insisted everything would be on the up-and-up.
The company's financial reports are finally on the up-and-up.