▪ I. ˈupset, n.
[up- 2.]
I. † 1. Sc. An insurrection, revolt. Obs.
| c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. v. xii. 3634 (Cott. MS.), His lufftennandis þai slew þar..In to þat vpset richt fellon. Ibid. viii. iv. 699 Þat vpset..Þat Chore agayne Moyses wroucht. |
† 2. north. and Sc. The fact of setting up in business as a master, or of becoming a freeman in a particular trade; also, the sum paid to the guild on this occasion. Obs.
| 1463–4 in York Memo. Bk. ii. (Surtees) 207 Every foreine walker commyng to this citie..and wil sett up as a maister,..he shall paie at his upsett xiijs. iiijd. 1505 in A. Pennecuik Blue Blanket (1756) 46 Persons..admitted frie men or master to the saids Crafts,..shall pay at his entrie for his upset, Five pounds. 1598 in J. M. Lambert 2000 Years Gild Life (1891) 255 The moytie of all Upsettes, incomes, or other receites..accrewinge..to the said Companie. 1639 Rec. Burgh Lanark (1893) 133 That nae persone..be admittit..frieman for any les wpsett nor is abone wryttin. 1687 in J. R. Boyle Hedon (1875) App. 192 Every apprentice.., his yeares beinge ended, shall pay for his upp sett two shillings to the said Company. |
3. † a. A curved part of a bridle-bit, fitting over the tongue of the horse. Obs. (Cf. upset ppl. a. 1 b.)
| 1607 Markham Cavel. ii. 64 Others..haue added, from the eye of the byt to the outside of the vpset, a strong trench. Ibid., The fashion of which vpsets..you shall behold in these figures. 1611 Cotgr., Col d'oye, the port, or vpset of some Bits. 1611 Florio, Suenata briglia, a bit with an open mouth as ports or upsets. c 1720 Gibson Farrier's Guide ii. lxii. (1722) 218 The usual Method of Cure is to open the Horse's Mouth with the Upset. |
b. Mining. (See quots.)
| 1883 Gresley Gloss. Coal-m. 268 Upset, a bolt hole or thirl put through between two levels in edge coals. 1886 J. Barrowman Sc. Mining Terms 69 Upset, a short working place driven to the rise. |
c. Basketry. Usu. upsett. The first section of waling, which sets the stakes firmly in place.
| 1907 T. Okey in Jrnl. Soc. Arts 11 Jan. 191 (caption) It will be seen that the bye-stakes are merely inserted in the upsett. 1946 N. Wymer Eng. Country Crafts vii. 73 He then lets in the stiff ‘uprights’ and fastens them securely by working in several willows together to form the ‘upset’. 1977 B. Maynard Basketry 19/2 You may like to start the upsett with one round of 4-rod wale. |
4. = upshot n. 4.
| 1821 J. W. Croker Diary 9 June, The upset, however, is that all is at a stand. 1901 F. E. Taylor Folk-sp. S. Lancs., Upset, the upshot. |
5. a. A rendering or translation.
| 1828 T. C. Croker Fairy Leg. S. Irel. ii. 71 It would be a thousand pities not to give you his verses; so here's my hand at an upset of them into English. |
b. A rough draft.
| 1841 H. Greeley in Corr. R. W. Griswold (1898) 102 Having got the right sort of a letter from Burleigh, I have set right down and written you an upset of it. |
II. 6. a. The overturning of a vehicle or boat; the fact of being overturned. (Cf. overset n. b.)
| 1804 Moore Mem. (1853) I. 162 Driving through mud and filth,..and risking an upset at every step. 1840 B. Hall Patchwork (1841) III. vii. 130 At this..moment, when an upset was obviously inevitable, the horses slackened their pace. 1852 Mansfield Paraguay, etc. (1856) 112 The Major..was afraid of the possible consequences of an upset of the canoe. 1880 L. Stephen Pope iv. 90 He had good-naturedly lent his own chariot to a lady who had been hurt in an upset. |
b. An overturning or overthrow of ideas, plans, etc. Also const. to.
| 1822 Blackw. Mag. XI. 453 The revolution and the upset of opinions..created a new order of..taste. 1827 Southey in Corr. W. C. Bowles (1881) 119 What a strange upset of old principles and old measures! 1886 Manch. Exam. 9 June 5/2 The result was a complete upset of all the predictions of the prophets. |
c. A physical or (more commonly) mental disturbance or derangement.
| 1866 C. Rossetti Prince's Progr. xxv, Some old volcanic upset must Have rent..and blackened the crust. 1892 Huxley in Life (1900) II. 320 My wife got an awful dose of neuralgia and general upset. 1899 Allbutt's Syst. Med. VIII. 301 The poor and hard-working are subject to mental upset..in much larger numbers than the well-off. |
d. A quarrel, a misunderstanding.
| 1887 G. R. Sims Mary Jane's Mem. 75 They were always getting at each other and both trying to bring me into their upsets. 1895 Daily News 31 Oct. 9/1 We had only one upset there. I happened to hit the defendant. |
Add: [II.] [6.] e. Sport (orig. Tennis). An unexpected defeat of the favourite in a game, etc.; a surprise result.
| 1921 Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 22 Oct. 10/1 Several upsets featured the play in the Canadian indoor tennis championships here yesterday. 1987 Athletics Today Apr. 17/1 The old International Cross Country Championship was a largely English invention, dominated by them with the occasional upset or intrusion from Belgians or the French. |
▪ II. upˈset, v.
[up- 4. Cf. WFris. opsette, MDu. opsetten (Du. opzetten), (M)LG. upsetten, MHG. ûfsetzen (G. aufsetzen), MSw. upsätia, -sättia (Sw. uppsätta), (M)Da. opsætte in sense 1. With senses 4–6 cf. overset v. 3–4.]
I. 1. trans. † a. To set up, raise up, erect. Obs. (Cf. upset pa. pple. 1.)
| c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. i. 395 Bordis of cipresse Playn & direct, vpsette hem in their kynde A foote atwyn. 1513 Douglas æneid xi. i. 15 Ane akin tre..Apone a motys hycht vpset hes he. 1608 Topsell Serpents 26 The serpent fierce..rough scales vpsetteth that were deiected. |
† b. To establish. Obs.—1
| 1559 in R. Keith Hist. Ch. & St. Scot. (1734) 111 To advance the Glory of God, by maintaining and upsetting true Preachers of the Word. |
c. techn. To force back the end of (a metal bar, etc.) by hammering or beating, esp. when heated.
| 1677 Moxon Mech. Exerc. i. 11 You may Up-set it, that is, take a Flame Heat, and set the heated end upright upon the Anvil, and hammer upon the cold end till the Heated end be beat or up-set into the Body of your Work. 1688 Holme Armoury iii. 88/2 Up-set, is when at a heat the Iron is beaten back into the Body of the work. 1841 Penny Cycl. XX. 156/2 Wire ropes may be..secured at their ends by passing them through the small end of a conical collar, and doubling up, or upsetting, the ends of the wires. 1869 Sandberg tr. Styffe's Iron & Steel 11 The author ‘upset’ or stubbed the bars at the ends. 1884 C. G. W. Lock Workshop Receipts Ser. iii. 286/2 A pick should never be ‘upset’, or hammered endwise. |
d. Agric. To ridge up.
| 1764 Museum Rust. III. 321 Fifth ploughing, sowing earth, up-set it, and harrowing. |
e. Usu. upsett. (pa. tense and pa. pple. also upsetted.) (a) To bend upwards (a stake) plaited into the base of a basket to form part of the frame for the side; (b) to form the ‘upset’ of (a basket); also absol.
| 1875 Encycl. Brit. III. 423/1 Osiers..are forced or ‘scallumed’, between the rods of the bottom from the edge towards the centre, and are turned up, ‘upset’, in the direction of the sides. 1907 T. Okey in Jrnl. Soc. Arts 11 Jan. 190/2 If a foot is needed it is now put on by inserting the tops cut off from the stakes alongside the upsetted stakes. 1912 ― Art of Basket-Making vi. 33 Very coarse work..is upsetted with a pair instead of a wale. 1945 H. J. Massingham Wisdom of Fields v. 94 My basketer..after ‘scalluming’ the foreign rods..proceeded to wale up the sides, ‘upsetting’ as it is called, that is to say, building up the frame. 1977 B. Maynard Basketry 19/2 Stake up with the 40 side stakes, nip them at the edge of the base and tie them together tightly at the top... Upsett with six rounds of waling with No. 6 cane keeping the sides quite vertical. |
2. † a. Sc. To make good, make up for; to get over, recover from (a loss, etc.). Obs.
| 1513 Douglas æneid Direct. 33 God grant I may amend it, With grace and space to vpset this tynsell. 1557 Extr. Aberd. Reg. (1844) I. 305 Gif ony dampnage cumis thair⁓throw,..that the said Gilbert be..obleist to vpsett the same. 1593 Sc. Acts, Jas. VI (1816) IV. 26/2 Þe said morowing gift, sa faithfullie..promesit to be vpsett and maid guid. 1606 Rollock Lect. 2 Thess. 53 The lose thou getst by deceite wil neuer be vpset. 1806 A. Douglas Poems 123 Folk as stout an' clever..Hae gotten skaith they never Upset for mony year. |
b. To restore to good or usual condition. Obs. exc. dial.
| a 1652 Brome City Wit iii. i. (1653) C 8, When she failes by diseases or paine, The Doctor new Vamps and upsets her againe. 1905 in Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v., Cor[nwall]. Two men went up the hill upsetting [= reviving] the fire. |
3. intr. Of a cylindrical bullet: To become bent.
| 1859 ‘Stonehenge’ Shot-Gun 306 A pointed cylinder soon ‘upsets’, as it is termed, and is then at once rendered useless as a projectile. [Cf. upsetting vbl. n. 1 e.] |
II. 4. intr. To be overturned or capsized.
Said of a vehicle, boat, etc., or of persons in it.
| 1799 T. Knight Turnpike-gate ii. iii, If the horses had not run so fast we should not have upset. 1820 Moore Mem. (1853) III. 116 If there came the slightest breath of wind, they would upset with so many on board. 1889 Jerome Three Men in Boat iii, The boat..will not be so liable to upset. |
5. a. trans. To overturn; to capsize; to knock over.
In this or the next sense called ‘a low word’ by Todd (1818).
| 1803 Rees Cycl., Capsize, in Naval Language, to upset or turn over anything. 1808 Jamieson s.v., To upset a cart, boat, &c. 1813 Southey Nelson I. 15 It was with the utmost difficulty that the crew could prevent them from staving or upsetting her. 1852 Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. vii. 45 One luckless wight contrived to upset the gravy. 1871 Jowett Plato II. 43 The light active boxer upsetting two stout gentlemen. |
| fig. 1883 Pall Mall G. 26 Oct., If the Control had done more it might have upset the apple-cart altogether. |
b. To involve (persons) in the accidental overturning of a vehicle or boat. Chiefly in pass.
| 1807 Southey Espriella's Lett. II. 192 Had we been..overtaken by storms and upset in the lake. 1819 Moore Mem. (1853) II. 345 Very nearly upset by the horse backing down the hill. 1832 A. W. Fonblanque Eng. under 7 Administr. (1837) II. 206 ‘He then built him another [vessel],..which he succeeded in setting afloat.’..‘Aye, and it nearly upset him..at sea.’ 1867 Princess Alice Mem. (1884) 176 Mme. d'Usedom..was lately upset with her carriage off the road. |
c. fig. To overthrow, undo, put out of joint.
| 1818 Moore Mem. (1853) II. 221 Very natural, but very likely to upset the whole concern. 1859 W. Collins Q. of Hearts iii, She..upset every one of our calculations on the first day of her arrival. 1884 Sir H. Cotton in Law Times Rep. LI. 277/1 A witness who is coming..to assist the plaintiff in upsetting..a fraudulent scheme. |
6. a. To throw into mental disorder or discomposure; to trouble or distress.
| 1805 Blackwood in Nicolas Nelson's Disp. (1846) VII. 224, I never was so shocked or so completely upset as..to find that Lord Nelson was even then at the gasp of Death. 1857 Trollope Barchester T. III. 116 Eleanor..was a good deal upset, as people say, and could not at the moment collect herself. 1885 Law Times 7 Feb. 270/2 Deceased appeared very irritable upon the morning in question, but witness knew of nothing to upset him. |
b. To disorder physically.
| 1845 Budd Dis. Liver 261 A young person, delicate, and easily upset by any imprudence in diet. 1889 Mrs. E. Kennard Landing a Prize x, The least thing upset his liver. |
Hence upˈsetment; upˈsettable a.; upˈsettal.
| 1893 Standard 10 Mar., For this *upsetment too, nothing would be gained. [Cf. w. Somerset (1888) upsotment, ‘disturbance, break up’.] |
| 1890 Sat. Rev. 4 Oct. 386/1 Persons *upsettable..at their own peril. |
| 1890 Graphic 11 Oct. 406/1 Never a little finger did I put to help in his *upsettal. |
▪ III. upˈset, pa. pple. and ppl. a.
[up- 5. Cf. prec. and WFris. opset, Norw. uppsett, Da. opsat, Sw. uppsatt.]
1. a. Set up, erected, raised up, etc.
| 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 70 Now is he in þe see with saile on mast vpsette. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 204 Ther scholde be tofore his bed A bord upset and faire spred. c 1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 108 Trees þat hauyn yu hem many braunches and rotes, and þe stoke vpsette. 1430–40 Lydg. Bochas ix. 23 Ful of idoles upset on hihe stages. 1513 Douglas æneid ii. iii. 53 Scharslie the statw was in thair temple wpset, Quhen all hir membris bittir teris swet. 1658 A. Fox Würtz' Surg. iii. xii. 253 An upset hand is sooner bowed, than a hand which hangeth down, to be set upright. 1824 Mactaggart Gallovid. Encycl. 362 Puir Girzey, wi' her upset chin. |
† b. upset mouth, = upset n. 3 a. Obs.
| 1580 Blundevil Art of Riding iii. xxvii. 54 The square ports, otherwise called vpset mouthes. 1607 Markham Cavel. ii. 52 He..for a more libertie to the tongue, giueth allowance to the cannon, with the vpset mouth. Ibid. 64 Others to these vpset mouthes, haue added..a strong trench. |
2. Of price: Stated as the lowest sum for which property exposed to auction will be sold; named as the sum from which bidding may start. orig. Sc. and U.S.
| 1814 Act. 54 Geo. III, c. 137 §42 The Price..shall not be less than the last upset Price at which it had been exposed to public Sale. 1815 Scott Guy M. xiv, Mr. Glossin offered the upset price for the lands and barony of Ellangowan. 1834 Spectator 8 Nov. 1066/1 The price at which land [in U.S.] is..sold, varies from the upset price to many pounds sterling per acre. 1866 Veness El Dorado App. 178 All Crown lands [in S. Australia] are open to purchase at the upset price of {pstlg}1 per acre. 1884 Public Opinion 3 Oct. 434/2 The mansion, park, and home farm..were bought in, the highest bid..being considerably under the upset price. |
3. Overturned, capsized. upset race (see quot. 1876).
| 1842 C. Whitehead R. Savage (1845) I. x. 135 He..threw him over the upset table. 1876 Encycl. Brit. IV. 812/2 Canoes for ‘upset races’ (where the canoeist has to jump out, tow his boat while swimming, and then get in). 1882 Daily News 3 July 5/2 An upset hansom is a rare thing. |
4. Physically disordered: said esp. of the stomach.
| 1973 C. Leach Send-Off iii. 26 All you get is a burned back and an upset tummy. 1980 J. Gardner Garden of Weapons iii. iii. 249 Hoffer had sent him back because of his upset stomach. |