noun
prostitute's self-paid day off to meet a lover
Historical term from the Edo period. Refers to a courtesan paying her own fee to her master in order to take a day off, typically to see a lover. Not used in modern contexts.
江戸時代、遊女は身上がりを取って恋人に会いに行った。
In the Edo period, courtesans took a self-paid day off to go see their lovers.
Compound of 身 (mi, 'body, oneself') and 上がり (agari, 'rising, going up'), literally 'self-raising', referring to the act of paying one's own fee to be free for a day.