Down

subs. (thieves’).—1.  Suspicion; alarm; a diversion. THERE IS NO DOWN = All is quiet, it is safe to go on.

  1821.  D. HAGGART, Life, Glossary, p. 171. DOWN, alarm; rose the DOWN, gave the alarm.

  2.  (American).—Small beer. UP = bottled ale.

  Adv. (colloquial).—1.  Dispirited; hard-up; in disgrace. Found in various combinations: e.g., DOWN IN THE MOUTH, or DUMPS = dejected; DOWN ON ONE’S LUCK = reduced in circumstances; DOWN AT HEEL = shabby; DOWN ON ONE’S BACK-SEAM = out of luck; DOWN TO BED-ROCK (American) = penniless, etc., etc.

  1608–11.  BISHOP HALL, Epistles, i., 6. The Roman orator was DOWN IN THE MOUTH; finding himself thus cheated by the money-changer.

  1693.  CONGREVE, The Old Batchelor, Act iv., Sc. 9. Sir J. Witt. Now am I slap-dash DOWN IN THE MOUTH, and have not one word to say.

  1751.  SMOLLETT, Peregrine Pickle, ch. xlix. He … told the physician that he was like the root of the tongue, as being cursedly DOWN IN THE MOUTH.

  1836.  DICKENS, Pickwick Papers, p. 6 (ed. 1857). I see—never ruined—accidents will happen—best regulated families—never say die—DOWN UPON YOUR LUCK—pull him up.

  1840.  The Comic Almanack, p. 208.

  1846.  THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, vol. II., ch. xxix. They say, that when Mrs. Crawley was particularly DOWN ON HER LUCK, she gave concerts and lessons in music here and there.

  1851.  H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, vol. I., p. 58. If the hucksters know that the person calling the raffle is DOWN, and that it is necessity that has made him call it, they will not allow the property put up to be thrown for.

  1861.  G. ELIOT, Silas Marner, ch. viii. Well, here’s my turning, said Bryce, not surprised to perceive that Godfrey was rather DOWN; so I’ll bid you good-day.

  1864.  YATES, Broken to Harness, ch. x. ‘What won’t do?’ asked Prescott, with a flaming face. ‘Why, this Kate Mellon business, Jim. It’s on hot and strong, I know. You’ve been DOWN IN THE MOUTH all the time she was away.’

  1880.  A. TROLLOPE, The Duke’s Children, ch. xlvii. I’m sorry you’re so DOWN IN THE MOUTH. Why don’t you try again?

  1880.  GREENWOOD, A Veteran of Vauxhall in Odd People in Odd Places, p. 40. Then I got DOWN AT HEEL, as the saying is; and when a man is reduced to one bare suit of black, and that one so shaky with long wear that it wants as tender handling as an invalid, he hasn’t got much of a chance to get on well as a waiter.

  2.  (old).—Acquainted with; ‘FLY’ (q.v.); UP TO (q.v.). Also in combination: DOWN TO, DOWN ON, and DOWN AS A HAMMER.

  1610.  JONSON, The Alchemist, IV., iv.

  1825.  C. M. WESTMACOTT, The English Spy, vi., p. 162. Dick’s a trump, and no telegraph,—up to every frisk, and DOWN TO every move of the domini, thorough bred, and no want of courage.

  1839.  W. H. AINSWORTH, Jack Sheppard, p. 138 [ed. 1840]. ‘Awake!—to be sure I am, my flash cove,’ replied Sheppard; ‘I’m DOWN AS A HAMMER.’

  1850.  F. E. SMEDLEY, Frank Fairlegh, ch. iv. You’re about right there, Mr. Lawless, you’re DOWN TO every move, I see, as usual.

  1865.  G. F. BERKELEY, My Life and Recollections, II., 103. ‘Cribb,’ I said … ‘I’m DOWN ON it all; the monkey never bit your dog.’

  3.  (old).—Hang-dog. Cf., adv., sense 1.

  1703.  WARD, The London Spy, pt. xv., p. 353. He describes a swarthy, black, ill-looking Fellow, with a DOWN look, or the like.

  1879.  PAYN, High Spirits (Number Forty-seven). ‘Well, he was rather a DOWN-looking-cove. ‘Hang-dog?’ said I. ‘Well, yes, to be frank, hang-dog.’

  4.  Verb (common).—To put on one’s back: whether by force or by persuasion: e.g., TO DOWN A WOMAN = to lay her out for copulation.—See also quot.

  1874.  W. E. HENLEY, Unpublished Ballad.

  TO BE DOWN A PIT, verb. phr. (theatrical).—To be very much ‘taken’ with a part.

  TO BE, or COME DOWN UPON ONE, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To berate; to attack; to oppose. Sometimes with a tag: e.g., LIKE A THOUSAND, or A LOAD, OF BRICKS; LIKE ONE O’CLOCK; LIKE A TOM-TIT ON A HORSE-TURD, etc.

  1815.  SCOTT, Guy Mannering, ch. xxviii. I think we should BE DOWN UPON the fellow one of these darkmans, and let him get it well.

  1823.  W. T. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry (Dicks’ ed., 1889), p. 6. Prime. From the cut of the gentleman’s clothes, I presume he’s lately come from the Esquimaux Islands. Tom. Ha! ha! very good, Primefit; I say, Jerry—you see he’s DOWN UPON you.

  1864.  London Review, 28 May. There are no loungers in this mortal sphere who so nicely judge a horse’s points, or who are so inexorably DOWN UPON any blemish as this careless fringe of observers upon those two fashionable promenades.

  1877.  W. H. THOMSON, Five Years’ Penal Servitude, iii. 167. Let him only find out a man in some artful little game, and he would BE ‘DOWN ON’ him and hunt his life out almost.

  TO BE DOWN PIN, verb. phr. (skittle alley).—To be out of sorts, or despondent. Cf., DOWN, adv., sense 1.

  TO DROP DOWN TO ONE, verb. phr. (old).—To discover one’s character or designs.

  TO PUT A DOWN UPON ONE, verb. phr. (old).—To peach so as to cause detection or failure.

  TO PUT ONE DOWN TO [A THING], verb. phr. (old).—To apprize, elucidate, or explain; to coach or prime; to ‘let one into the know.’

  TO TAKE DOWN A PEG.—See PEG.