Why does 上がったり mean doomed business etc. even if in 上がったり下がったり it means going up/improving (as does 上がる)?
Is it shortened from a longer phrase or something? Thanks
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Where did you get the sense that 上がったり means "doomed business"? Could you provide any context, or the source you used?– Eiríkr ÚtlendiNov 25, 2020 at 23:34
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2@EiríkrÚtlendi they're referring to this word weblio.jp/content/%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%8C%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E3%82%8A– LeeboNov 25, 2020 at 23:36
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@Leebo, thanks, ya, but that doesn't refer to a "doomed business" -- on its own, the noun sense is more like "doomed-ness", as I understand it. Without knowing more about where Jack encountered the term, it's hard to know how to address the question.– Eiríkr ÚtlendiNov 25, 2020 at 23:39
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@EiríkrÚtlendi I think that's just how it shows up in E-J dictionaries– LeeboNov 25, 2020 at 23:40
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2I'm guessing Jack looked at this jisho.org/word/%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%8C%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E3%82%8A and got "doomed business" from it, when it's like "doomed (of a business)" in that entry.– LeeboNov 25, 2020 at 23:43
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1 Answer
One meaning of あがる is something along the lines of "to be finished," "to be over," "to stop functioning," etc.
This is the meaning used in 商売が上がったりだ。
"Up" can have a similar meaning in English, such as in the sentence "My contract is up in 3 weeks." It's not negative here, but the meaning of "over" is there.
