go upstairs

1. Literally, to climb steps to reach a higher level of a building. A: "Where's Susie?" B: "Oh, she went upstairs to bed." When you go upstairs, can you take the laundry basket with you? Once you go upstairs, the bathroom is the first door on the right—you can't miss it.

2. To go to someone higher in a hierarchy, like one's boss, to seek their authority for a decision or other purpose. I'd go upstairs with that request—we don't have the authority to sign off on something like that. You can't make a change like this without the boss knowing, so you better go upstairs first. Can one of you go upstairs and get the paychecks for our department?