Fess Up Is a Clipped Confession
To fess up is to confess. The phrase is American and shortens a much longer Latin word.
To fess is to confess, almost always in the phrase *fess up*. The clipping is American, from the 1840s, and unusual in cutting from the front of a word rather than the end — English normally trims tails, as in *exam* and *demo*. Front-clipping is rarer: *phone*, *bus* and *plane* are the familiar examples. A *fess* is also a horizontal band across the middle of a heraldic shield, an entirely separate word from Latin *fascia*.
- To confess. *Fess up.*
- Confess — the full word. *Confess.*
- A heraldic band. *A fess.*
- American — from the 1840s. *The source.*
- Latin — *confiteri*, to acknowledge. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | fess | Fess up. |
| Past | fessed | Fessed up. |
| Full form | confess | To confess. |
| Noun | confession | A confession. |
| Heraldry | fess | A fess. |
- Come on, fess up.Admission.
- He fessed up eventually.Past.
- A silver fess on the shield.Heraldry.
Words clipped from the front
- Fess — from confess
- Phone — from telephone
- Bus — from omnibus
- Plane — from aeroplane
- Most English clippings cut the end instead, as in exam and demo
Short for *confess*, from Latin *confiteri*, to acknowledge. The heraldic term is from Latin *fascia*, a band.
Where does fess up come from?
American English of the 1840s, clipped from confess. It cuts the front of the word, which is unusual in English.
What is a fess in heraldry?
A horizontal band across the middle of a shield. It is a separate word, from Latin fascia.