Meaning of "to be up by"

Question

I'm struggling to grasp the exact meaning of a sentence, in the context of a business meeting. The sentence is:

The office move, as you know, the plans have been up by the main exit for a week now.

I know the meaning of the phrasal "to be up to", when referring to a person.

I also search for the meaning in a different context, when referring to either a plan or an object or activity, and found out that the term might be a synonym for "increase" (e.g. saving this, you'll be up by €20 every month.)

So, in this sentence, the "plans" for the move (which, in this case, refer to diagrams) now include more than just the main exit?

This is my guess, but a more deliberate, native speaker explanation would be much appreciated. Thanks

Answer 1

"The plans have been up (by the main exit) for a week now."

'Up' is one of those words that can mean a huge number of things depending on context. In this case, 'up' means 'on display in a vertical position'. The plans could be up on a wall or up on a display board.

"By" is another word with loads of definitions. In this case it's referring to the location of an object beside a place or object. 'By the main exit' means that the physical location of the plans is beside the main exit.

So the sentence means: The plans have been on display for a week. The place where they have been on display is next to the main exit.