uptight — (adj.) tense, slang, 1934, from UP (Cf. up) + TIGHT (Cf. tight). Meaning straight laced first recorded 1969. It was used in a sense of excellent in jazz slang c.1962 … Etymology dictionary
uptight — [adj] nervous anxious, apprehensive, cautious, concerned, conventional, edgy, nervy, old fashioned, on edge*, on the defensive*, restive, strict, tense, troubled, uneasy, withdrawn, worried; concept 401 Ant. calm, collected, cool … New thesaurus
uptight — ► ADJECTIVE informal 1) nervously tense or angry. 2) conventional or repressed … English terms dictionary
uptight — ☆ uptight [up′tīt′ ] adj. Slang 1. very tense, nervous, anxious, etc. 2. overly conventional or strict: Also up tight … English World dictionary
uptight — 01. Students are usually [uptight] before a test. 02. My cousin is [uptight] because he doesn t have a job, and he needs money to pay his mortgage. 03. Why are you so [uptight] this evening? What s bothering you? 04. I can tell when he is… … Grammatical examples in English
uptight — adj 1. tense, repressed, humourless, unrelaxed. A black slang term which is probably in origin a short form of wound up tight or screwed up tight . The term was adopted into the hippy vocabulary to express the unliberated, repressed… … Contemporary slang
uptight — adj. VERBS ▪ be, feel, look, seem, sound ▪ get ▪ Try to laugh at it instead of getting uptight. ▪ … Collocations dictionary
uptight — [[t]ʌ̱pta͟ɪt[/t]] ADJ GRADED: usu v link ADJ Someone who is uptight is tense, nervous, or annoyed about something and so is difficult to be with. [INFORMAL] Penny never got uptight about exams... I tend to get very uptight during a match. Syn:… … English dictionary
uptight — mod. anxious. □ Dave always seems uptight about something. □ He is one uptight guy. □ Don’t get uptight before the test … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
uptight — adjective Date: 1934 1. a. being tense, nervous, or uneasy < uptight overachievers > b. angry, indignant c. rigidly conventional < an uptight conservative > 2. being in financial difficulties • uptightness noun … New Collegiate Dictionary
