Are you up to much?

Question

I hear a lot everyday people saying "Are you up to much?"What does that mean? Thanks very much!

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

I hear a lot everyday people saying "Are you up to much?"
What does that mean?

This is very idiomatic.

'What are you up to?' is an idiomatic way of saying, basically, 'What are you doing?'

'Are you up to much?' probably means here 'Are you doing much?' ie 'Are you busy?'.

Tom is not up to much' can also mean that Tom has poor abilities, but this is a much less common meaning. Because of its negative aspect, you wouldn't speak of it directly to someone, like this. You'd say it about someone but not in their presence.

Best wishes, Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Are you up to much?

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