first heard that phrase from a now long passed best friend of mine. whenever i occasionally use it now, people look at me with question marks in their eyes. are you, per chance, from eastern tennessee?
No, west coaster. Fled cali decades ago.
The term used to be fairly common in the military.
The phrase is not endemic to Tennessee. I grew up in the 50’s in the NY-NJ metropolitan area and heard the phrase back then.
Pretty common phrase in downstate Illinois.
My late father used that term....except he would say “piss up a CROOKED rope!”
He wasn’t from eastern Tennessee. He grew up in Pittsburgh and Detroit and I heard him use it growing up in the New York metropolitan area in the 1960’s, and for many years after that.
My dad used to use that 40 years ago, and he was from North-central Alberta Canada.
Your friends need to get out more...