Definition

Adjective: - Planned secretly or dishonestly: Describes something, especially a scheme or situation, that has been arranged in advance through deception or conspiracy. It implies a hidden agenda or a setup designed to achieve a particular, often unfair, outcome.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The whole thing was a put-up job to make him look guilty. (The entire situation was secretly arranged to create the appearance of his guilt.)
  • The witness testimony seemed suspiciously like a put-up story. (The witness's account seemed like it had been fabricated or planned in advance.)

Advanced Usage

• "A put-up affair/job": This is the most common and idiomatic collocation. It specifically refers to a situation, event, or piece of work that is the result of secret planning or fraud.
  • The robbery was a put-up job involving an inside man. (The robbery was secretly planned with the help of someone on the inside.)

Variants and Related Words

• Put up (Phrasal Verb): This is a separate and much more common phrasal verb with multiple meanings (e.g., to erect, to tolerate, to provide lodging). It is not an adjective.
  • They decided to put up a new fence. (They decided to erect a new fence.)
  • I can't put up with this noise anymore. (I can no longer tolerate this noise.)

Synonyms

• Prearranged: Arranged or agreed upon in advance.
• Fabricated: Invented or concocted, typically with deceitful intent.
• Rigged: Dishonestly arranged for a specific result.

Related Idioms

• "A put-up job": As detailed above, this is the standard idiom. It functions as a noun phrase where "put-up" is the adjectival component describing the "job."
  • The election was widely believed to be a put-up job. (The election was widely believed to have been dishonestly prearranged.)

Adjective

1. planned secretly
   • it was a put-up job