toes up

adjective

Of a person, dead or killed.

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Meanings

adjectivetoes up (not comparable)

alternative toes-up

  1. idiomaticnot comparableslangOf a person, dead or killed.

    Groves, of the Forty-sixth, is gone "toes up".

    1862, Charles James Lever, Davenport Dunn, page 119
  2. idiomaticnot comparableslangBroken, completely failed so as to become inactive.

    The land deals in Tokyo've gone toes up since the bubble burst, but the landlord's still trying to push through a deal with a developer.

    2005, Mo Hayder, The devil of Nanking, page 42

Origin

From toes + up, in reference to a corpse lying on its back.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

toes up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toes%20up

MLA

“toes up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toes%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “toes up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toes%20up.

Source: toes up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.