Alley

Posted by Smokey Stover on November 04, 2004

In Reply to: Alley posted by jtt on November 04, 2004

: Hi
: Could anyone answer this question to me?
: What is the meaning of *up in my alley*

: Artists like Alansist and Michelle would be right up my alley
: thanks

Which is it, "up in my alley," which I've never heard, or "up my alley"? The directional "up" is not usually meant literally. Downtown, uptown, down the shore, up my street, up my alley, are common indicators of location. "Up the street" means farther on than some reference location, as in "up the street from my house." "Up my alley," or especially "right up my alley," means that whatever is referred to is of special interest to me, perhaps because of taste, perhaps because of expertise. SS