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Fed up

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on November 25, 2010 at 11:33

In Reply to: Fed up posted by mpleblanc on November 25, 2010 at 10:15:

: Where does the phrase 'fed up' come from?

It means to be surfeited, disgusted or tired of something, as when one has eaten far too much and in consequence feels (a) sick of food and (b) ill-tempered.

Do *not* believe anyone who says (as a number of sites on the internet do) that it comes from falconry, because "a trained hawk which has 'fed up' only wants to sit still and digest its meal, and so won't hunt for you". The earliest known use of 'fed up' dates from 1882, at which time falconry was a tiny minority activity not likely to give rise to a popular phrase. (VSD)

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