upsy-daisy

[ uhp-see-dey-zee ]

/ ˈʌp siˈdeɪ zi /

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interjection

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

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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. 2023

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