"Up in years" as an adjective

[NortT]

Hello! Can I say "up in years person/people" instead of "old person/people"?

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

You could say something like:

"Nowadays most print newspaper readers in the United States are people up in age."

NOTES:

1. "print newspapers" are those printed on paper, not those on the Internet.

2. "People up in age" may be short for "people who are up in age."

 

[BobK]

More generally, you can't (normally) use an adjectival phrase attributively (before its noun); a person who is down in the mouth is not a *'down in the mouth person', a rumour that is doing the rounds {="commonly heard"} is not a *doing the rounds rumour'... (and so on).

b
PS I suspect there are a few counterexamples, but my impression is that this is the common case.

 

[BobK]

... Nor is one of my favourite Chaucer quotes: 'somewhat advanced in years'; but I still use it. :evil:

b

 

[emsr2d2]

"advanced in years" works fine for me in BrE. I have never heard, and don't like, "up in age".

 

[MikeNewYork]

I don't like it either (AmE speaker).

 

[lotus888]

I would accept:

He was up there in age.



--lotus

 

[Johnyxxx]

Long in the tooth also works.

He is a little long in the tooth for the job.
The actress is long in the tooth to get the role.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Your second doesn't work.

 

[emsr2d2]

Long in the tooth also works.

He is a little long in the tooth for the job.
The actress is long in the tooth to get the role.

The second could work with "too long in the tooth".

 

[BobK]

:up:... a metaphor based (I think - maybe I was misinformed, though it's quite plausible) on horse-trading (another metaphor...[!]); yet another is 'don't look a gift-horse in the mouth' [=If someone gives you a present, don't check it for quality]. The length of a horse's teeth was an indication of its age, so when in a horse sale the buyer looks in the horse's mouth.

b

 

[MikeNewYork]

It is not the length of the horse's teeth. it is Galvayne's groove.

http://www.cowboyway.com/What/GalvaynesGroove.htm