A noisy quarrel, argument, or fight; a disturbance or commotion.
Origin uncertain, possibly from the image of dust flying up during a scuffle or fight. Emerged in English slang around the 1860s-1870s, with some theories suggesting Australian or British origin.
No one knows for sure why 'dustup' means a fight—maybe because dust literally flies when people tussle, or maybe it's just wonderfully onomatopoetic. It's been slang for 150+ years and still sounds playfully combative.
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