eggcorn? coin-up

[Gordon, Matthew J.]

Another fun one: coin-up for coin-op, i.e. coin-operated machine.

I saw this originally in reference to an arcade video game machine:

"I was over at a mall near my doctor's office today and I saw about 2-3 actual coin ups with a price range between 150-500 bucks. They weren't anything new , mostly some fighter games from the 90's , the most expensive one was a baseball game made by sega that looked pretty good."
from a forum post at www.cheapassgamer.com

Google shows a few more examples in reference arcade machines and others referring to car washes, etc.
e.g.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fast_and_the_Furious
http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/71276/los_angeles_ca/laser_coin_car_wash.html

The reanalysis might have roots in video-game arcade culture, specifically the practice of reserving the next game on a busy machine by putting your quarter(s) up on the cabinet. I haven't spent enough time in car washes or laundromats to know whether similar etiquette obtains there.

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