dup is do up

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

Thus Ophelia says in one of her snatches, he "dupped the chamber door", i.e.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “dup is do up” mean?

Thus Ophelia says in one of her snatches, he "dupped the chamber door", i.e.

Is “dup is do up” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.