up-and-up

noun

ˈəp-ən-ˈəp 

: an honest or respectable course

—used in the phrase on the up-and-up

The business is strictly on the up-and-up.

Examples of up-and-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And because those sales would be on the up-and-up, Iran would no longer need to offer steep discounts. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 17 June 2026

At one point, one of Quinn’s goons discovers that Reacher isn’t on the up-and-up so Reacher kills him and is forced to come back later and dispose of the body. — Erik Kain, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025

Why does Israel need to be told to allow food to starving people if this war is being fought on the up-and-up? — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for up-and-up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup