Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tits up

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.00 in modern English

Syllables: tit-s up
IPA

8

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Broken; failed; inoperable.

British usage; Slang

adj

British usage; Slang

adj

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see tits, up.

verb

third-person singular simple present indicative of tit up

Example Sentences

"The vast majority go tits up in the first year. Basic economics, even if the people have some training and education in retail."
"But believe me, sunshine, if this show goes tits up, none of us are going to come out smelling of roses.""

Etymology

Perhaps derives from an expired animal lying on its back, or the behaviour of aeroplanes' attitude indicators, which in some regional conventions turn upside down when faulty and display an inverted 'W' resembling a pair of breasts.

Usage

British usage
Slang

Inflected Forms

tits-up (alternative) titsup (alternative)

Phrases

belly up

Frequently Paired Words

belly up

Questions

What does tits up mean?: Broken; failed; inoperable.
Where does tits up come from?: Perhaps derives from an expired animal lying on its back, or the behaviour of aeroplanes' attitude indicators, which in some regional conventions turn upside down when faulty and display an inverted 'W' resembling a pair of breasts.

How to pronounce tits up

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “tits up”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “tits up” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.