To USE UP, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To exhaust, wear out, DO FOR (q.v.): whence USED up = broken-hearted, bankrupt, fatigued, vanquished, killed, etc. (Grose).
1835. Dana, Before the Mast, xxviii. Such a sight I never saw before . . . 'cleaned out' to the last real, and completely USED UP.
1855. Kingsley, Westward Ho, i. Half were used-up . . . with the scurvy.
1855. Haliburton, Human Nature, 192. Well, being out night arter night, she got kinder used up and beat out, and unbeknownest to me used to take opium.
1856. Kane, Arctic Exped., II. 100. Hans has been really ill; five days down with severe pains of the limbs have left him a 'little weak,' which with him means well USED UP.
1865. Downing, May-day in New York. Moving on the first day in May in New York has used me up worse than building forty acres of stone wall.
1871. Calverley, Fly Leaves. 'Beer.' But what is coffee but a noxious berry Born to keep used-up Londoners awake?
1876. Grant, One of the Six Hundred, iii. His whole air had the used-up bearing of those miserable dundrearys who affect to act as if youth, wealth, and luxury were the greatest calamities that flesh is heir to.
1887. D. Teleg., 5 Mar. We have used up no fewer than six Irish Secretaries in little more than as many years.
Usher, intj. (thieves').—Yes: cf. Yiddish user = it is so.
1877. Horsley, Jottings from Jail. When I got into Shoreditch I met one or two of the mob, who said, 'Hallo, been out to-day? Did you touch?' So I said USHER.
Usual, subs. (colloquial).—The custom. As per usual = as usual: pleonastic.
1589. Puttenham, Art of Eng. Poesy, 72. The staffe of seuen verses hath seuen proportions, whereof one onely is the vsuall of our vulgar.
1892. Milliken, 'Arry Ballads. 'At a Political Picnic' Bin playing some dark little game? I'm keeping mine hup as per usual.
Utter, subs. (old and colloquial).—The extreme; the utmost: also (modern) quite too utterly utter = very; the blooming utter = the utmost. As adj. = excellent, Ai: a supreme intensive.
d. 1697. Aubrey, Lives. 'Walter Raleigh.' I take my leave readie to countervaile all your courtesies to the utter of my power.
1887. Henley, Culture in the Slums, iii. I likes a merry little flutter, I keeps a Dado on the sly, In fact my form's the BLOOMING UTTER.
Uzzard, subs. (provincial).—The letter Z.
