"on the up-and-up" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "US origin, 19th c.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "adjective",
        "head": "on the up-and-up"
      },
      "expansion": "on the up-and-up",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Before paying any money, make sure the organization is on the up-and-up.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1934, John O'Hara, Appointment in Samarra, published 2013, page 165",
          "text": "You double-cross me, you son of a bitch. I bet English gave you a sawbuck so he could take her out and give her a jump, and you sit back there collecting fifty bucks from me becuss I'm sap enough to think you're on the up-and-up with me.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, Kate Collins, Seed No Evil, Penguin",
          "text": "“Which you also have to order from his Web site, I'm betting. Are you sure this doctor is on the up-and-up?” “He wrote a book, Abs. Of course he's on the up-and-up.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Legitimate; honest; upright."
      ],
      "id": "en-on_the_up-and-up-en-adj-hl5tUU7v",
      "links": [
        [
          "Legitimate",
          "legitimate"
        ],
        [
          "honest",
          "honest"
        ],
        [
          "upright",
          "upright"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) Legitimate; honest; upright."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "above board"
        },
        {
          "word": "bona fide"
        },
        {
          "word": "on the up and up"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "legitimate",
          "word": "honesto"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-on the up-and-up.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/be/En-au-on_the_up-and-up.ogg/En-au-on_the_up-and-up.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/En-au-on_the_up-and-up.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "on the up-and-up"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "US origin, 19th c.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "adjective",
        "head": "on the up-and-up"
      },
      "expansion": "on the up-and-up",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English adjectives",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English informal terms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Before paying any money, make sure the organization is on the up-and-up.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1934, John O'Hara, Appointment in Samarra, published 2013, page 165",
          "text": "You double-cross me, you son of a bitch. I bet English gave you a sawbuck so he could take her out and give her a jump, and you sit back there collecting fifty bucks from me becuss I'm sap enough to think you're on the up-and-up with me.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, Kate Collins, Seed No Evil, Penguin",
          "text": "“Which you also have to order from his Web site, I'm betting. Are you sure this doctor is on the up-and-up?” “He wrote a book, Abs. Of course he's on the up-and-up.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Legitimate; honest; upright."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Legitimate",
          "legitimate"
        ],
        [
          "honest",
          "honest"
        ],
        [
          "upright",
          "upright"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) Legitimate; honest; upright."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "above board"
        },
        {
          "word": "bona fide"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-on the up-and-up.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/be/En-au-on_the_up-and-up.ogg/En-au-on_the_up-and-up.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/En-au-on_the_up-and-up.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "on the up and up"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "legitimate",
      "word": "honesto"
    }
  ],
  "word": "on the up-and-up"
}