ENGLISH
REFERENCE

up and down

idiom.
A2 Elementary Oxford

idiom. moving in one direction and then the opposite, or feeling good and then bad.

idiom. a binomial expression describing alternating physical movement or fluctuating emotional states and conditions.


SIMPLE

He walked up and down the hallway while waiting.

CONTEXTUAL

The stock market has been going up and down all week due to the news.

COMPLEX

Throughout her long recovery, her spirits were up and down, reflecting the unpredictable nature of her physical progress.

Usage

often used as an adverbial phrase to describe repetitive movement or as an adjective for fluctuating moods.

Teaching tip

this is a 'irreversible binomial'—we almost never say 'down and up' in this context; it can also mean 'everywhere' in phrases like 'up and down the country'.

Pitfall

He walked down and up the room.He walked up and down the room.the order of words in this phrase is fixed and cannot be reversed.

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