The Ups and Downs of "Down" and "Up" Quiz

Answer: down for the count

"Down for the count" comes from the sport of boxing when a competitor has been knocked down or out by an opponent or cannot continue in a match. The boxing referee counts to ten; and if the faltering competitor cannot get up before the count of ten and return to the match, he or she is "counted out" by the referee and loses the match.

Answer: up with the larks

Larks have been associated with daybreak, the dawn, or sunrise in literature and legend throughout the ages; perhaps because their distinctive calls and songs stand out among those of other birds stirring in the early light.

Answer: True

In addition to being the title of a very good George Clooney film, "up in the air" suggests something that is remote enough not to be visible or dwelling tantalizingly beyond reach.

Answer: brief him on the development, personnel, and current status of the project

This phrase may have come from relay racing in track and field. In order to receive the baton from your predecessor, you must run alongside them and approach their speed before you can successfully take the baton.

Answer: from the US state of Maine or parts of the Canadian Maritimes

"Down east" can refer generally to the state of Maine or specifically to the coastal region of Maine from Penobscot Bay to the Canadian border. The term originated from the sailing practices of ships in colonial times making the trip from Boston to Maine, which was downwind from and geographically to the east of Boston. Thus: "down east."

Answer: sad: they are moving away soon

"Up stakes", as a phrase meaning to move out, is said to have developed from the early American practice of surrounding settlements with palisade fences made of closely-placed stakes. Since the process of assembling the material for and constructing the fences was time and resource-intensive, when the pioneers moved, they would "pull up the stakes" and take them with them to build the fence for their next settlement.

Answer: buying clothes that are too cheap-looking or of inferior quality

The term "down market" may have been originally devised to reflect the gradations in price from the "top-of-the-line" through medium-priced to low-priced consumer goods; but it has come to mean goods which appear cheaply and shoddily made rather than to mean merchandise that is of perfectly acceptable quality but priced in a more moderate range. Thus a "down market" outfit is more about how it looks than what it cost or where it was purchased.

In this example, the consignment shop may be a great idea for a place to find outfits that must look swank for a one-time appearance but which may not get a lot of wear beyond that. With luck, such clothing can be re-re-sold to the shop after its wedding appearance. Finding bargains is a real challenge!

Answer: True

The phrase conjures the image of hungry pigs rooting around in the mud for their dinner.

Answer: down in the boondocks

Drawn from the Tagalog word for a mountain, "bundok," boondocks can also refer to an area that is unfashionable or even disreputable. "Down in the Boodocks" was a hit song in the 1960s for Billy Joe Royal: "People put me down, 'cause that's the side of town I was born in."

Answer: up the creek without a paddle

This phrase has evolved from a somewhat more profane version popular in WWII. It may have originated from Haslar's Creek, a tributary of Portsmouth Harbor, where wounded sailors were often taken to die in the time of Lord Nelson.