Talk:up to

The customer asked the mechanic what part of the car he was up to. Do we include this sense at the moment? ---> Tooironic 05:35, 10 March 2010 (UTC)

"As far as", I would think. In this case it doesn't seem to take an object, but it's actually there as the relative pronoun "what". DAVilla 15:51, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

"Willing to participate in"

Doesn't, "Are you up to going to the beach" only mean the other meaning of, 'are you able'. I would never use 'up to' in this way, rather "Are you up for going to the beach". As far as I'm aware this isn't regional, either. Possibly in need of an edit? — This unsigned comment was added by 2.29.98.22 (talk) at 00:59 27 June 2013‎ (UTC).

Hmm. To me, either "up to" or "up for" could be used with this meaning, though they have slightly different nuances. I guess "up for" implies a degree of enthusiasm or maybe daringness, whereas "up to" implies merely feeling able medically and emotionally. Or something like that.... — Smjg (talk) 14:53, 2 July 2021 (UTC)

Deletion discussion

The following information passed a request for deletion.

This discussion is no longer live and is left here as an archive. Please do not modify this conversation, but feel free to discuss its conclusions.

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up to

Doing; involved in (with implications of mischief). I just changed be up to from a redirect to its own page because I think this prepositional phrase is not used on its own. It's a verb be up to, you can't do up to or start up to or stop up to or use it with any other verb AFAIK. WurdSnatcher (talk) 16:29, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

Agree. Good change.--Sonofcawdrey (talk) 22:41, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

Keep. While be up to might deserve a page (as would get up to), up to can also be used as a genuine preposition to link a person to a troublesome activity, as in "He looked like a man up to no good". Smurrayinchester (talk) 09:04, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

Isn't that just elliptical syntax for "a man who was up to no good"? -- Sonofcawdrey (talk) 10:46, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

Whether it is or not, it shows that be up to is not the only place we should have the definition. Smurrayinchester (talk) 12:42, 30 November 2015 (UTC)

(Also:

• 2012, Kris Ralston, Precious Cargo, Xlibris Corporation →ISBN, page 48

  She, however, ignored him completely, believing he was an up to no good loser.

• 2015, Phyllis A. Humphrey , Dead in the Water, Gemma Halliday Publishing →ISBN

  Her tone told me once more she considered the woman no better than an up-to-no-good floozie

) Smurrayinchester (talk) 12:45, 30 November 2015 (UTC)

Strong keep and redirect be up to hither per Smurrayinchester.​—msh210℠ (talk) 20:03, 22 December 2015 (UTC)

Kept. bd2412 T 18:33, 1 January 2016 (UTC)

Opposite of down to

Can't it also becthe opposite of down to With no one/nothing remaining but? --Backinstadiums (talk) 17:44, 1 March 2020 (UTC)

not up to much

Is not up to much idiomatic enough? --Backinstadiums (talk) 11:17, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

Implications of mischief

This is another instance where I can't understand how incorrect information has remained for so long.

Here, "up to" in the sense of "doing; involved in" doesn't have implications of mischief. Constructions like "What are you up to?" and "Been up to anything today?" are common in idle conversation, and are just asking about how one is or has been spending one's time. I've never heard of anybody interpreting such questions as accusing the person of doing something naughty.

If in some English dialect(s) it necessarily has implications of mischief, I suppose the best way to indicate this would be in a usage note. — Smjg (talk) 21:53, 14 April 2021 (UTC)