Grammar fix
stitch someone up
frame someone
To deliberately make someone seem guilty of something they did not do.
phrasal verb
How oftenNow and then
LevelC1
Used inMostly spoken
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
He said his former colleagues had stitched him up to protect themselves.
I watched a British crime drama where the main character was stitched up by his friends, so he spent the whole series trying to clear his name.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: They stitched him for the robbery.
Say: They stitched him up for the robbery.
Do not drop 'up' in this British expression.
Don't confuse it
Other ways to say it
Make an innocent person look guilty
Which regionInternationalBritish
frame someoneA direct expression for deliberately making someone appear guilty.set upArrange false evidence or circumstances to make someone look guilty.
stitch someone upYou're here · British and informal: arrange for someone to be wrongly blamed.