stitch up (someone)
phrasal verb (informal)

- to manipulate a situation so that someone is placed at a disadvantage or wrongly blamed for something

- to trick someone so that they are put in a difficult or unpleasant situation, especially one where they are blamed for something they have not done

Oxford Languages / Collins CoBuild

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PHRASE ORIGIN

“Stitch-up” (in the noun form it’s usually hyphenated) entered the English language during the 20th century and has been in common use since at least 1980. The "stitching" metaphor likely comes from the notion of being "sewn" into a situation from which one cannot easily escape, similar to how a piece of cloth is securely stitched.

Another interpretation is that it relates to the process of repairing or fabricating something (like sewing or stitching a garment), thus hinting at the creation of a scenario or situation that puts someone at a disadvantage.

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MORE STITCHY PHRASES

- In stitches: used when someone is laughing so hard that their sides hurt, as though they were being stitched.

- A stitch in time saves nine: a proverb which means that it's better to fix a problem right away (with one stitch), than to let it get worse and have to fix a much larger problem later (with nine stitches).

- Without a stitch on: to be completely naked. From the idea of not having a single stitch of clothing on one's body.

- Every stitch of clothing: all of one's clothes. For example, "He lost every stitch of clothing in the fire" means that he lost all of his clothes.

- Not a stitch out of place: used to describe something (or someone) that is extremely well-ordered, neat, or well-dressed.

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SYNONYMS

bamboozle, bilk, chisel, con, concoct, connive, cook up, diddle, dupe, double-cross, enmesh, ensnare, entrap, fabricate evidence/charges against, falsely incriminate, fit up, fleece, flimflam, frame, gammon, hoodwink, hornswoggle, incriminate, inveigle, lead up the garden path (by the nose), machinate, manipulate, outfox, outmanoeuvre, outsmart, outwit, play a trick on, plot, pull a fast one, put one over on, rook, run a game on, scam, sell a pup, set up, sham, shenanigan, snow, stiff, STITCH UP, string along, sucker, swindle, take for a ride, take in, throw a curve (ball), trap, trick, wile

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“One has to be careful that a seemingly simple request isn't, in reality, a STITCH-UP involving lots more work.”

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