What it means
A piss-up is a boozy get-together where the main activity is sinking drinks, not pretending it’s a classy soirée. It can be anything from a mate’s backyard sesh to a messy night out. You’ll also hear couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery as a brutal way to say someone’s hopeless at planning even the easiest thing.
Usage examples
"We’ll swing by Dave’s after arvo footy, crack a few tinnies and turn it into a proper piss-up. Bring your own grog, no whinging."
"The lads from Carlisle organised an absolute piss-up for Tony’s leaving do at the working men’s club, four kegs, two karaoke machines and a singalong that finished long after the bar shutters came down."
"The new chairman couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery, the AGM ran out of biscuits at quarter past two, the chairs were the wrong way round, and the slideshow opened on the cleaner’s holiday album."
"It started as a couple of quiet ones after work and somehow turned into a full piss-up with Steve asleep in the garden chair."
"Don’t ask Liam to sort the stag do, mate couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery if you handed him the guest list and the keys."
Where it comes from
Built from piss in its older British slang sense tied to boozing, as in on the piss. Piss-up was in UK use by the mid 20th century for a drinking session or booze-heavy gathering, then spread and stayed especially strong in Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The brewery line became a classic comic insult later on.
This expression also appears in
