to stick up
Preserved but no longer current.
Australian for to waylay and rob a coach, etc ; also in common use for raiding a bank and so on in daylight, the raiders closing the doors and covering all present with revolvers telling them to "stick 'em up," or hold up their hands above their heads.
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 “to stick up” mean?
Australian for to waylay and rob a coach, etc ; also in common use for raiding a bank and so on in daylight, the raiders closing the doors and covering all present with revolvers telling them to "stick 'em up," or hold up their hands above their heads.
Is “to stick up” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.