What is a hold up note?

@Photosopher the guy eats a note. My question is what the note is? What does “hold up note” mean exactly?

It’s the note given by a bank robber to the bank teller informing her that “This is a holdup. Give me all your money”.

Sometimes they are that vague. Sometimes they are very specific in the amount wanted.

Recently, a man was arrested for attempted bank robbery. His hold up note requested $1. He needed an operation and had no health insurance. He knew he’d get the medical care he needed in prison. After giving the note to the bank teller, he just sat down and waited for the police to arrive.

@Photosopher thanks!

@kourkoubini Welcome to fluther. Interesting question. Hold ups are almost as old as the US. You don’t have hold ups in your country?

@Adirondackwannabe well we do have i just couldn’t understand what it is exactly through the translation. Also i believe that most robbers prefer to just talk to the treasurer

@kourkoubini I think the term came from “hold up your arms or get your hands in the air” to keep the victims hands were they could be easily seen, but if anyone knows differently correct me.

@kourkoubini Another term was also stickups, for the same reason.

I can’t say that I know differently, but I have a different guess. I thought it meant “hold up” in the sense of detain. A robber accosts someone and stops them from going somewhere, usually by showing a weapon, and takes their money and valuables. It is common for expressions to transfer from one aspect of a situation to another so that “holding up” becomes robbing instead of just stopping. But we still use it that way, too: “Hey, hold up there!” means stop—halt, wait.

A variant on this is of course “stick up.” Seems to be more commonly used in Britain certainly.