know which end is up

English

Alternative forms

• know which way is up

Etymology

From the common marking this end up on parcels to guide proper transport.

Pronunciation

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Verb

know which end is up (third-person singular simple present knows which end is up, present participle knowing which end is up, simple past knew which end is up, past participle known which end is up)

1. (idiomatic) Synonym of know one's stuff, especially in the context of possessing sound judgment or common sense.

   He was too stoned to know which end was up.

   • 1992, Dorothy Garlock, Glorious Dawn‎^[1], →ISBN:

     He's so in love, he doesn't know which end is up.

   • 2005, John C. Hefley, Failure Equals Death, →ISBN, page 29:

     “I'll gladly take criticism from a cop who knows which end is up and isn't afraid to do the job the way it should be done.”

   • 2010, Gordon Lish, “The Friend”, in Collected Fictions, →ISBN, page 243:

     “[B]elieve me, she is some catch for the right boy—for a boy which knows which end is up.”

   • 2011, Richard North Patterson, Silent Witness, →ISBN, page 277:

     “When someone doesn't know which end is up, who knows why they do things.”

   • 2011, Catherine McGuinness, Emperors' Clothes‎^[2], →ISBN, →ISBN:

     The whole company is in disarray! Nobody knows which end is up.

Usage notes

Frequently used in negative constructions to discuss inexperience or failing to understand a situation. Cf. know one's ass from a hole in the ground.

See also

• know one's way around
• not know which end is up