up and down

See also: up-and-down

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (Australian):

  (file)

Adverb

up and down (not comparable)

1. Upward and downward, alternately.

   Coordinate term: back and forth

   the tide goes up and down

   my blood pressure goes up and down

   She looked me up and down and hinted that I could do with losing some weight.

   I quickly eyed the building up and down.

   • traditional, “Wheels on the Bus”:

     The people on the bus go up and down, up and down, up and down.
     The people on the bus go up and down, all through the town.

2. (idiomatic) Forwards and backwards alternately along a path.

   walk up and down the corridor

3. (idiomatic) Staunchly, unwaveringly, obstinately.

   He swore up and down that he hadn't taken the money.

   • 2006, Stephen Baker, Bomb Ass Pussy:

     Christina is straight up and down fuckable.

4. (figuratively) In various places, e.g., in a country.
   • 2022 January 12, Paul Bigland, “Fab Four: the nation's finest stations: Eastbourne”, in Rail, number 948, page 27:

     There's also a barber's shop and that staple of railway stations up and down the UK - a WH Smith.

Translations

upward and downward, alternately

• Arabic:

  North Levantine Arabic: طلوع نزول (ṭlūʕ nzūl)

• Dutch: op en neer
• Georgian: ზემოთ-ქვემოთ (zemot-kvemot), ზევით-ქვევით (zevit-kvevit)
• German: auf und ab (more formal), rauf und runter (colloquial)
• Italian: su e giù
• Korean: 이리저리 (ko) (irijeori)
• Maltese: ’l fuq u ’l isfel
• Romanian: în sus și în jos
• Russian: вверх-вниз (ru) (vverx-vniz)
• Swedish: upp och ner (sv)

alternately forwards and backwards along a path

• Hungarian: fel s alá
• Romanian: în sus și în jos
• Russian: взад и вперёд (vzad i vperjód)
• Swedish: fram och tillbaka (sv)

staunchly, unwaveringly, obstinately

• Romanian: în sus și în jos
• Spanish: por activa y por pasiva (colloquial; usu. preceded by decir)

See also

• ups and downs

Adjective

up and down (not comparable)

1. (nautical) Vertical; perpendicular; said of the cable when the anchor is under, or nearly under, the hawse hole, and the cable is taut.
2. (figurative) Plain; downright.

   an up and down honest man

3. (Philippines, architecture) Of a building, having two stories.