upsy-daisy

[ uhp-see-dey-zee ]

/ ˈʌp siˈdeɪ zi /

Save This Word!

interjection

(used, as for reassurance, at the moment of lifting a baby up.)

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Also upsa-daisy.

Origin of upsy-daisy

1860–65; compare earlier up-a-daisy, dial. up-a-day, perhaps up + (lack)aday, (lack)adaisy;-sy perhaps to be identified with -sy

Words nearby upsy-daisy

upsurge, upsweep, upswell, upswept, upswing, upsy-daisy, uptake, uptalk, uptear, up-tempo, upter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use upsy-daisy in a sentence

Even the valor of tragedy is denied to Daisy, “a woman born with a voice that lacks a tragic register.”
Carol Shields’s Tale Of Secondhand Life|Nathaniel Rich|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The ad begins with a young girl counting the petals she is pulling off a daisy.
F-111: Death-Dealing, Pop-Art Masterpiece|Nicolaus Mills|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The odd (though beautiful) pair here is Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who were a hit on the vaudeville circuit.
Fall Broadway Preview: 'This Is Our Youth,' Bradley Cooper as ‘The Elephant Man,' and More|Janice Kaplan|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A helping of free PR, all while skillfully avoiding the exorbitant day rate of British fashion model Daisy Lowe.
How Marc Jacobs Punk’d the Modeling World|Lizzie Crocker|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Instead of sleeping with them, however, Joffrey forces Ros to beat Daisy with a whip… and then a giant club.
Game of Thrones’ 8 Most Gruesome Deaths: From The Mountain’s Exploding Head Kill to Rat Torture|Marlow Stern|June 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You would think the poor teacher would be driven crazy, but he seems as calm as a daisy in a June breeze.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
"Daisy—papa's Daisy—your vows are made," whispered Ethel, gaining sole possession of the babe for a minute.
The Daisy Chain|Charlotte Yonge
With such an assembly at hand the time was ripe for selling Daisy-Jewel to the highest bidder.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
I lay on the grass in the cloisters, and the Daisy Chain hung from the sky, and was drawing me upwards.
The Daisy Chain|Charlotte Yonge
Old Warrender would lean on his daisy-spud a pleased spectator of the Arcadian scene.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3)|Charles James Wills

British Dictionary definitions for upsy-daisy

upsy-daisy

upsadaisy

/ (ˈʌpsɪˈdeɪzɪ) /

interjection

an expression, usually of reassurance, uttered as when someone, esp a child, stumbles or is being lifted up

Word Origin for upsy-daisy

C18 up-a-daisy, irregularly formed from up (adv)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012