stitch-up

[stich-uhp]

noun

British Informal.

1. a scheme of deception that exploits or falsely incriminates someone, possibly leading to a false arrest; a setup.

   These allegations against the mayor are part of an outrageous stitch-up.

stitch up

verb

1. to join or mend by means of stitches or sutures

2. slang

   1. to incriminate (someone) on a false charge by manufacturing evidence

   2. to betray, cheat, or defraud

3. slang,  to prearrange (something) in a clandestine manner

noun

1. slang,  a matter that has been prearranged clandestinely

Word History and Origins

Origin of stitch up¹

First recorded in 1980–85; stitch ( def. ) + up ( def. )

Example Sentences

He spoke ahead of his Welsh Labour conference speech in Llandudno, where he will allege Plaid Cymru would be willing to form a "backroom stitch-up" with Reform and the Tories after the next election.

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He will warn abandoning Labour could risk a "return to the chaos and division of the last decade" with a "backroom stitch-up between the Tories, Reform and Plaid".

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That infuriated Reform UK's group leader in Cornwall, Rob Parsonage, who branded the coalition deal "undemocratic" and "a total stitch-up".

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So, was there something that the courts could not see - the whiff of an "establishment stitch-up" that meant the process was unfair?

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Five years of anguished legal battles came down to a difficult disagreement - but not one that the courts could find amounted to a "stitch-up".

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