Get "Down" to It Trivia Quiz

Answer: countdown

Despite the fact that it is an obvious compound word, countdown was only coined in 1953. The word was first used in the news articles regarding atomic bomb tests, like counting down until a missile launches. A countdown is also famously conducted before rocket launches.

A countdown is an event in which the number is repeatedly lowered over time. On New Year's Eve the time counts down to midnight and the ensuing celebration begins when it strikes zero. A countdown is commonly utilized in video games, where a player must beat the objective before the time runs out, as well as in multiplayer matches, where the time counts down until the match is over.

Answer: downtown

It is believed that the term 'downtown' was first used in the 1830s to refer to the original town on Manhattan Island, which eventually became New York City. Why? The town was on the southern tip of the island.

The downtown area consists of a business district that often lies in the center and densest part of a city. It is usually occupied by several skyscrapers, heavy traffic, and pedestrians. The apparent opposite is uptown, which is typically a residential area within a city or town.

Answer: downdraft

The term 'downdraft' was coined in 1849 by simply combining the words 'down' and 'draft'; use of the word became common when talking about the weather. It refers to the downward air current (draft) originated from higher up, such as from storm clouds. The strong downdraft coming crashing down during the thunderstorm is called a downburst or microburst, which is so powerful that it can cause roofs to cave in. When the microburst or any downdraft hits the ground, the winds fan out and become horizontal. From a distance, the microburst can be seen as clouds falling rapidly to the ground.

Downdraft can also means a period of decline. The labor downdraft in 1929 started the Great Depression of the 1930s, although the term was in use for at least 80 years prior to this example.

Answer: downfall

The word 'downfall' was coined around 1300, just before the world went into a downfall that was caused by the Great Famine and the Black Death. The word, denoting a sudden and rapid fall, may have been inspired from the fall of the Mongol Empire caused by the death of Kublai Khan in 1294.

The word downfall etymologically refers to the fall from high up in degree, such as ranking, authority or status. A government could go into a downfall, leading to the collapse of a nation, such as what happened to the former Soviet Union. Another example is caused by certain actions that were not entirely accepted, leading to the firing of a boss or manager. Businesses going bankrupt would be another example of a downfall.

Answer: breakdown

The word 'breakdown' was added to the dictionary in the late 1300s when people used this word due to a common thought that a downward force caused certain things to break. A breakdown applying to machines first came into use in 1838, the term 'nervous breakdown' came into use in 1905, and in 1936 the phrase 'analytic breakdown' came into use.

Breakdown etymologically refers to the act of breaking something with downward force. A structural breakdown simply means the collapse of a structure due to having too much downward force applied to it, such as weight. Machine breakdown either means it has stopped working or doesn't work right due to the breakage of a component. Nervous breakdown is a mental disorder that would disrupt the regular routine due to stress, depression or anxiety. Breakdown also means explanation and analysis using the statistics or other means, such as breaking down the players that make up the team.

Answer: touchdown

The term 'touchdown' was originated in rugby in the late 1800s where the ball had to literally touch the ground past the goal line to earn points. In American or gridiron football, a touchdown awards a team six points, though before 1900, touchdowns only awarded four points.

Touchdown also has a more literal meaning. It refers to the aircraft or any object landing on the ground after the flight or fall.

Answer: download

It is not quite known how the term 'download' originated, but it is known that the word was coined in 1977. Some say that it is from the analogy of downstream, except involving servers and operating systems, that is, operating system (computer) is downstream from the server.

Programs to be installed on the device are downloaded first, either from the web servers, or in olden days, from the disks. The files, such as MP3s and JPG images, are downloaded from the web and saved on PC or other devices. The opposite of download is upload, in which the file is transferred up to the server, such as from the cloud.

Answer: downplay

The term 'downplay', which originated in the 1950s, came from the verb play down, in which play means the act of something contributing to an effect on another, as in 'play a role'.

Downplay means to reduce the importance of something due to a report or fact that would contradict or overshadow it. The reports of a global cooling in the 1970s downplayed the global warming trend since the Industrial Revolution around 1850.

Answer: clampdown

The first known use of the word 'clampdown' was in 1940, just after World War II broke out. National governments had to put restrictions on actions that had previously been acceptable, such as public speeches, in order to ensure that national security would not be undermined.

Clampdown comes from the words clamp, meaning to hold together with a brace, and down. Putting the words together, clampdown literally means to hold it down together so it doesn't loosen it or break free. The word can also refer to the act of prevention. If there's a threat, someone would try to clamp it down to prevent things from reaching the boiling point, like imposing the guidelines, restrictions, or, in certain situations, a preemptive defense.

Answer: crackdown

The term 'crackdown' was first used in Chicago in the first half of the 1930s. The term was inspired from the way police stopped the gang members who committed illegal actions, like selling drugs or bootleg liquor. Newswriters coined the word crackdown by simply removing space from the phrase 'crack down'.

A crackdown is the act of enforcement used for stopping someone who did the wrongdoing, such as arresting a criminal and putting them in jail.