upright

dimber damber upright man

obsolete slang The leader of a band of thieves, miscreants, or gypsies. He walked through the town, this dimber damber upright man, quietly marking people as targets for his band of rogues who lurked in the shadows.

See also: man, upright

an empty sack cannot stand upright

One must eat in order to carry out one's duties. Have some dinner before you go back to your research. An empty sack cannot stand upright, you know.

See also: cannot, empty, sack, stand, upright

bolt upright

1. verb To suddenly sit or stand up from a reclining position. I bolted upright in bed when the phone rang in the middle of the night.

2. adjective Very erect in posture. The teacher instructed us to be bolt upright on the stage during the assembly.

See also: bolt, upright

An empty sack cannot stand upright.

Prov. A poor or hungry person cannot function properly. Sit down and have something to eat before you go back to work. An empty sack can't stand upright.

See also: cannot, empty, sack, stand, upright

sit bolt upright

to sit up straight. Tony sat bolt upright and listened to what the teacher was saying to him. After sitting bolt upright for almost an hour in that crowded airplane, I swore I would never fly again.

See also: bolt, sit, upright

bolt upright

Precisely perpendicular, erect in carriage, as in She sat bolt upright in her pew. This expression was used in slightly different form by Chaucer in the late 1300s: "She was ... long as a mast and upright as a bolt" ( The Miller's Tale).

See also: bolt, upright

bolt ˈupright

with your back very straight in an upright position: The noise woke her suddenly and she sat bolt upright in bed.

See also: bolt, upright

bolt upright

In a rigidly vertical position: sat bolt upright.

See also: bolt, upright