A frame-up is a situation where someone pretends that an innocent person has committed a crime by deliberately lying or inventing evidence. He was innocent and the victim of a frame-up. a plan to make someone seem guilty of a crime which they did not do = set-up
[ 'frAm ] (verb.) 14th century. Middle English, to benefit, construct, from Old English framian to benefit, make progress; akin to Old Norse fram forward, Old English fram from.