up the pole

idiomatic phrase

British
: mentally unsound
—used informally in an exaggerated way
The pressure of his job nearly drove him up the pole.
… my mum was up the pole worrying about how she was going to pay the bills.— Carolyn Leckie

Examples of up the pole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In response, Canadians are running the flags up the pole – with the maple leaf conveying new meaning and a certain solidarity. — Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Mar. 2025 Strip clubs increasingly featured pole dancing, and dancers invented more tricks — climbing up the pole and performing splits on the ceiling, twerking upside-down, and plummeting back to the ground. — Celia Ford, Vox, 10 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of up the pole was in 1904

Rhymes for up the pole

See All Rhymes for up the pole

Browse Nearby Words

up the ante
up the pole
up the spout
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Up the pole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/up%20the%20pole. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

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