upstairsadv.n.adj.
A. adv. and n. 
/ʌpˈstɛəz/.
/ʌpˈstɛəz/. 1.
a. So as to ascend a flight of stairs; to the floor at the top of a staircase.Stressed ˈupstairs when contrasted with downstairs.
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the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > [adverb] > so as to ascend stairs
upstairs1598
upstair1627
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 ii. v. 101 His industrie is vp staires and down staires, his eloquence the parcel of a reckoning. View more context for this quotation
1658 E. Phillips Myst. Love & Eloquence 75 Up stairs we nimbly creep, And find the Sluts asleep.
1661 in Jamieson Sc. Dict. at Breadberry Tripping up stares and down stares with a posset or berry for the laird or lady.
1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year (1896) 127 Some [running] down stairs and some up stairs.
1767 P. Gibbes Woman of Fashion I. 244 Shew the Lady up Stairs.
1797 H. Lee Canterbury Tales I. 152 He abruptly walked up stairs, and..opened the door.
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby lxii. 605 He made his way up stairs into the room.
1876 T. Hardy Hand of Ethelberta I. vii. 91 I think that after the women had gone upstairs the others turned their thoughts upon you again.
b. figurative. (See kick v.1 5b.)
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society > society and the community > social class > [adverb] > in manner of social elevation
upstairsa1715
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Suppl. to Hist. Own Time (1902) i. 145 He [sc. Halifax] had said he had known many kicked down stairs, but he never knew any kicked up stairs before.
1821 J. W. Croker Diary 31 May in Croker Papers (1884) I. vii. 186 Lord Melville informs me that he is about to be kicked upstairs (his expression) to be Secretary of State for the Home Department.
c.
(a) Parliament. In to send (a bill) upstairs, to refer (a bill) for its committee stage from the floor of the House to a standing committee. Cf. commit v. 5.
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society > law > legislation > make (laws) or establish as law [verb (transitive)] > refer to committee
commit1449
commise1623
to send (a bill) upstairs1835
1835 Mirror of Parl. (1st Sess., 12th Parl.) 2 1399/2 I rise to suggest, that if this Bill requires mature deliberation with respect to its details, it should be referred to a Committee up~stairs, and not to the Registration Committee.
1907 Hansard Commons 11 Apr. 419 Was it the intention of the Government that such a Bill as the Army Bill should go upstairs?
1931 Economist 31 Jan. 215/2 In spite of the Government's majority, it is clear that the Bill will emerge from Committee in a very different form from the one in which it is sent upstairs.
1959 Daily Tel. 13 Nov. 13/3 For detailed consideration, the Bill will be sent to a Committee ‘upstairs’, consisting of about 45 M.P.s.
1975 J. P. Morgan House of Lords & Labour Govt. ii. 54 All Public Bills usually have their Committee Stage in the Lords on the Floor of the House... In response to the pressure of legislation in 1968 the Lords tried the experiment of taking some Bills ‘upstairs’ for their Committee Stage.
(b) Hence more generally, (ii) to a more influential position (sometimes ironical); (ii) to a higher authority (of a matter referred for judgement). colloquial.
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society > authority > [adverb] > with superior authority > to a more superior position
upstairs1965
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > advice > [adverb] > (referred) to a higher authority
upstairs1965
1965 New Statesman 9 Apr. 566/2 At the recent Plenum, the first since Mr K was ousted, Ilyichev was booted upstairs as Deputy Foreign Minister.
1977 D. Bagley Enemy xi. 75 I'll have to push it upstairs for a ruling.
1978 S. Brill Teamsters vii. 289 The Pressers get him another job with the Joint Council or the statewide union. You know, he gets thrown upstairs.
d. Aeronautics. Up in or into the air. In to go (climb, etc.) upstairs, to become airborne. colloquial.
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society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [verb (intransitive)] > ascend or gain height
to go (climb, etc.) upstairs1908
climb1915
angel1941
1908 Punch 10 June 429/2 Climbing upstairs over Richmond Park [in a balloon] in search of conducive current.
1919 C. P. Thompson Cocktails 250 We hauled the plane from the trees where she had been pushed out of sight..and..went upstairs at speed.
2.
a. At the top of, on a floor or in a room reached by, a flight of stairs; in one of the upper stories of a house.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > [adverb] > floor or storey
below1562
downstairs1598
below stairs1600
above stairs1606
upstairs1781
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > [noun] > floor or storey > upper floors
first floor1445
plancher1523
first storey1686
piano nobile1715
mezzaninec1720
entresol1726
attic storey1738
upstairs1781
attic1818
second floor1821
third floor1908
upper1968
1781 W. Cowper Table Talk 151 To be the Table Talk of clubs up stairs.
1813 J. Austen Pride & Prejudice III. xiii. 229 Her mother..was sitting up stairs with Kitty. View more context for this quotation
1844 A. W. Kinglake Eothen xvi. 218 It is upstairs—on the first floor.
1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal III. ii. 28 You would rather dine upstairs, I dare say.
b. quasi-n.
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1842 S. Lover Handy Andy xiv The ogre's voice from up~stairs.
1898 T. Watts-Dunton Aylwin xii. iii As I spoke I heard a noise... It seemed to come from upstairs.
c. As n. An upper story or floor. Also transferred, a person or persons living on an upper floor.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabitant > inhabitant by type of accommodation > [noun] > inhabitant of house > inhabitant of part of house
garreteer1720
boudoira1830
first floor1837
upstairs1872
1872 E. Eggleston End of World i. 19 They say, he has all up-stairs full of books.
1884 B. D. Nath in Proc. Soc. Psychical Res. (1885) 3 329 I was..present on the day when Mr. Coulomb gave the charge of the upstairs to our party.
1896 Westm. Gaz. 23 Apr. 2/3 The magistrate could not discriminate whether upstairs or down-stairs began [the fight].
d. Aeronautics. In the air; in flight; aloft. colloquial.
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society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > [adverb]
upstairs1918
up top1934
1918 H. A. Bruno Flying Yankee v. 77 Cold as the devil upstairs.
1918 H. A. Bruno Flying Yankee xii. 193 ‘Upstairs’ a stiff breeze was blowing.
1934 V. M. Yeates Winged Victory ii. v. 232 There won't be any Huns about upstairs [on] a day like this.
1940 N. Monks Squadrons Up! 252 Dashing about ‘upstairs’ in stratospherical aloofness.
1967 W. Lord Incredible Victory 94 By 5:30 the weather was clearing ‘upstairs’.
1981 I. St. James Balfour Conspiracy v. 138 The R.A.F. are upstairs now..at about seventy thousand feet.
e. Mentally, ‘in the head’. Chiefly in phrases indicating weak (or abundant, etc.) mental capacity. slang.
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the mind > mental capacity > [adverb] > in the head
upstairs1932
1932 J. T. Farrell Young Lonigan i. 44 Aw, she's all vacant upstairs.
1945 A. Kober Parm Me 179 ‘Meshugeh upstairs!’ Jennie laughed and drummed on her forehead.
1952 G. W. Brace Spire xxvii. 322 He just ain't right upstairs.
1962 A. Huxley Island xi. 184 ‘One may be very stupid upstairs.’ She patted the top of her head.
1974 P. De Vries Glory of Hummingbird (1975) v. 63 Assurances that my progress here would be well lubricated by my having ‘plenty upstairs’.
f. the Man Upstairs, euphemistic and slang for ‘God’. Cf. up there adv. 1. U.S.
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the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > [noun] > as man
gomec1320
wyec1400
the Man Upstairs1961
1961 J. Heller Catch-22 xviii. 184 ‘When you talk to the man upstairs,’ he said, ‘I want you to tell Him something for me.’
1971 Guardian 8 Oct. 9/4 Everything that's happened to me has been very much because of the Man Upstairs.
1976 H. Kemelman Wednesday Rabbi got Wet xix. 129 I'd just lost my wife, see. I guess the Man Upstairs wanted her.
B. adj. /ˈʌpstɛəz/.
1.
a. Situated on an upper story or at the top of a flight of steps.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > [adjective] > floor or storey > situated on
upper1522
upstairs1787
upstair1814
1787 L. L. Orr Jrnl. Young Lady Virginia (1871) 46 Nancy had a fire made up in one of the up-stairs rooms.
1850 Househ. Words I. 206/1 In upstairs Infirmary wards.
1879 Mrs. A. G. F. E. James Indian Househ. Managem. 35 A bungalow has rarely any upstairs rooms.
b. Belonging to, connected with, the upper rooms or parts of a house.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > [adjective] > floor or storey
understairs1616
downstairs1702
two-pair1749
below stairs1772
three-pair1788
one-pair1795
upstairs1839
1839 T. Hood On Completing Forty-seven iv I hear the up-stairs bell.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xvi. 140 At the usual hour..the upstairs maid, knocked at the door of the..bed-chamber.
1894 E. Banks Campaigns Curiosity 10 The up~stairs duties of a first-class lodging-house.
c. figurative. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of life ‘above stairs’ (i.e. in private rooms of a household, as opposed to the servants' quarters) (chiefly Historical); refined, genteel, privileged. Frequently in upstairs-downstairs adj., denoting the social contrast between employer and domestic servant.
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society > society and the community > social class > nobility > aristocracy or upper class > gentry > [adjective]
gentle?c1225
gentc1300
gentlemanlya1450
gentlemanlike1565
genteel1628
genty1660
gentee1664
gentlemany1728
niblike1834
nibsome1839
upstairs1942
1942 ‘M. Innes’ Daffodil Affair i. ii. 13 Almost might she be said, in upstairs language, to be receiving.
1971 TV Times 9 Oct. 6/2 A six-part series, Upstairs, Downstairs (or Secrets of an Edwardian Household), starting Sunday, lovingly, critically examines life at that time through one family.]
1974 D. Francis Knock Down i. 6 To one side of the sale ring, and built to a specification as Upstairs as the wooden circle was Downstairs, was a magnificent turn of the century stable yard.
1975 New Society 6 Nov. 305/2 Our system is too monolithic, based as it is on an upstairs-downstairs view of music. Upstairs people choose the classics on Radio Three... Downstairs, people listen to pop.
1978 G. Mitchell Mingled with Venom i. 4 She had been taken on as kitchen-maid... She was..a ready learner of upstairs speech and manners.
1980 E. Behr Getting Even i. 18 The lady in black with white lace cap and apron, a real upstairs-downstairs figure.
2. Having more than one story.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > building of specific internal arrangement > [adjective] > number of storeys
one-storey1796
two-lofted1819
one-storeyed1821
four-story1833
single-storied1835
upstairs1840
multi-storied1891
multi-storey1902
low-rise1922
single-storey1947
tri-level1960
1840 E. E. Napier Scenes & Sports Foreign Lands II. v. 163 Old B—— possessed one of the few up-stairs houses in the cantonment, in the lower part of which he had his shop.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adv.n.adj.1598