Up the river

Being sent up the river means to be sent to prison. It originated with Sing-Sing prison in New York but works for any prison in the U.S.

English Expression: (Sent) up the river

Believe you me; you do not want to be sent up the river.

Why? Because if you are, it means you are going to prison to become a jailbird.

This term originally was used when judges sent convicted criminals in New York to Sing-Sing Prison.

Sing-Sing is North of New York, up the Hudson River. Therefore, if you were sentenced to spend time at Sing-Sing prison, you had to go up the river.

Over time, the expression became standard American English as was used to refer to anyone going to any prison anywhere in the United States.

Yes even if the prison is in the middle of the desert, you can still say sent up the river.

I know that many Japanese English language students study English so they can understand movies.

If you are a fan of old movies from the fifties and sixties, then you’ll hear this expression used.

Be mindful though, these days the expression is a little bit dated, but you may still hear it mentioned in contemporary movies or by more mature people.



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