The word ‘upset’ originated from horse racing. The common use of the word came after one race where a new upstart horse named ‘Upset’ unexpectedly beat the crowd favourite named ‘Man O’ War’ who had never lost a race before that day
From Wikipedia:
“In 2002, George Thompson, a lexicographic researcher, used the full-text online search capabilities of the New York Times databases to trace the usage of the verb to upset and the noun upset. The latter was seen in usage as early as 1877. Thompson’s research debunked one popular theory of the term’s origin, namely that it was first used after the Thoroughbred racehorse Upset became the only horse to defeat the legendary Man o’ War in 1919. The actual origin remains unknown.
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From Wikipedia:
“In 2002, George Thompson, a lexicographic researcher, used the full-text online search capabilities of the New York Times databases to trace the usage of the verb to upset and the noun upset. The latter was seen in usage as early as 1877. Thompson’s research debunked one popular theory of the term’s origin, namely that it was first used after the Thoroughbred racehorse Upset became the only horse to defeat the legendary Man o’ War in 1919. The actual origin remains unknown.