"know which end is up" meaning in English

See know which end is up in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-know which end is up.ogg Forms: knows which end is up [present, singular, third-person], knowing which end is up [participle, present], knew which end is up [past], known which end is up [participle, past]
Etymology: From the common marking this end up on parcels to guide proper transport. Head templates: {{en-verb|know<,,knew,known> which end is up}} 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) To possess sound judgment or common sense; to have a clear understanding of a situation. Tags: idiomatic Synonyms: know which way is up Related terms: know one's way around, know which side one's bread is buttered on Translations (understanding in a specific situation): vide hvilken vej der vender op (Danish), olla kärryillä (Finnish), olla pihalla (note: not know which end is up) (Finnish)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_text": "From the common marking this end up on parcels to guide proper transport.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "knows which end is up",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knowing which end is up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knew which end is up",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "known which end is up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "know<,,knew,known> which end is up"
      },
      "expansion": "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)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
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      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He was too stoned to know which end was up.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1992, Dorothy Garlock, Glorious Dawn, →ISBN:",
          "text": "He's so in love, he doesn't know which end is up.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2005, John C. Hefley, Failure Equals Death, →ISBN, page 29:",
          "text": "“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.”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009, Lis Wiehl, April Henry, Face of Betrayal, →ISBN, page 145:",
          "text": "“I'm not some naïve, virginal little nothing who doesn't know which end is up.”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Gordon Lish, “The Friend”, in Collected Fictions, →ISBN, page 243:",
          "text": "“[B]elieve me, she is some catch for the right boy—for a boy which knows which end is up.”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2011, Richard North Patterson, Silent Witness, →ISBN, page 277:",
          "text": "“When someone doesn't know which end is up, who knows why they do things.”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2011, Catherine McGuinness, Emperors' Clothes, →ISBN, →ISBN:",
          "text": "The whole company is in disarray! Nobody knows which end is up.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To possess sound judgment or common sense; to have a clear understanding of a situation."
      ],
      "id": "en-know_which_end_is_up-en-verb-ciBtR422",
      "links": [
        [
          "judgment",
          "judgment"
        ],
        [
          "common sense",
          "common sense"
        ],
        [
          "understanding",
          "understanding"
        ],
        [
          "situation",
          "situation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To possess sound judgment or common sense; to have a clear understanding of a situation."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "know one's way around"
        },
        {
          "word": "know which side one's bread is buttered on"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "know which way is up"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "understanding in a specific situation",
          "word": "vide hvilken vej der vender op"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "understanding in a specific situation",
          "word": "olla kärryillä"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "note": "not know which end is up",
          "sense": "understanding in a specific situation",
          "word": "olla pihalla"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-know which end is up.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/30/En-au-know_which_end_is_up.ogg/En-au-know_which_end_is_up.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/En-au-know_which_end_is_up.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "know which end is up"
}
{
  "etymology_text": "From the common marking this end up on parcels to guide proper transport.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "knows which end is up",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knowing which end is up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knew which end is up",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "known which end is up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "know<,,knew,known> which end is up"
      },
      "expansion": "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)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "know one's way around"
    },
    {
      "word": "know which side one's bread is buttered on"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English negative polarity items",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Requests for review of Dutch translations",
        "Requests for review of French translations",
        "Requests for review of German translations",
        "Requests for review of Mandarin translations",
        "Requests for review of Portuguese translations",
        "Requests for review of Russian translations",
        "Requests for review of Zazaki translations",
        "Terms with Danish translations",
        "Terms with Dutch translations",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Mandarin translations",
        "Terms with Portuguese translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Zazaki translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He was too stoned to know which end was up.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1992, Dorothy Garlock, Glorious Dawn, →ISBN:",
          "text": "He's so in love, he doesn't know which end is up.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2005, John C. Hefley, Failure Equals Death, →ISBN, page 29:",
          "text": "“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.”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009, Lis Wiehl, April Henry, Face of Betrayal, →ISBN, page 145:",
          "text": "“I'm not some naïve, virginal little nothing who doesn't know which end is up.”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Gordon Lish, “The Friend”, in Collected Fictions, →ISBN, page 243:",
          "text": "“[B]elieve me, she is some catch for the right boy—for a boy which knows which end is up.”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2011, Richard North Patterson, Silent Witness, →ISBN, page 277:",
          "text": "“When someone doesn't know which end is up, who knows why they do things.”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2011, Catherine McGuinness, Emperors' Clothes, →ISBN, →ISBN:",
          "text": "The whole company is in disarray! Nobody knows which end is up.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To possess sound judgment or common sense; to have a clear understanding of a situation."
      ],
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        [
          "judgment",
          "judgment"
        ],
        [
          "common sense",
          "common sense"
        ],
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          "understanding",
          "understanding"
        ],
        [
          "situation",
          "situation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To possess sound judgment or common sense; to have a clear understanding of a situation."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "know which way is up"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-know which end is up.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/30/En-au-know_which_end_is_up.ogg/En-au-know_which_end_is_up.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/En-au-know_which_end_is_up.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "understanding in a specific situation",
      "word": "vide hvilken vej der vender op"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "understanding in a specific situation",
      "word": "olla kärryillä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "note": "not know which end is up",
      "sense": "understanding in a specific situation",
      "word": "olla pihalla"
    }
  ],
  "word": "know which end is up"
}

Download raw JSONL data for know which end is up meaning in English (4.2kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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