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"Arms," as in weapons. Up in arms means to be angry or rebellious. This term originally signified an armed rebellion and was so used from the late 1500's. It began to be used figuratively about 1700, as in "The members were up in arms when the election was postponed."
-From "Fighting Words: From War, Rebellion, and other Combative Capers" by Christine Ammer (NTC Publishing Group, Chicago, Ill., 1989, 1999). |
