upside-down

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upside down

adv.

1. So that the upper or right side is down: turned upside down.

2. In great disorder.

3. Being or holding an asset that is worth less than its purchase price or the debt owed on it.

[Alteration of Middle English up so doun, up as if down : up, up; see up + so, as if; see so¹ + doun, down; see down¹.]

up′side-down′ adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Adj.

upside-down - being in such a position that top and bottom are reversed; "a quotation mark is sometimes called an inverted comma"; "an upside-down cake"

inverted

turned - moved around an axis or center

upside-down

adjective

1. Turned over completely:

capsized, inverted, overturned, upset, upturned.

2. Characterized by physical confusion:

chaotic, confused, disordered, helter-skelter, higgledy-piggledy, topsy-turvy.

Informal: mixed-up.

Translations

upside-down

[ˈʌpsaɪdˈdaʊn]

A. ADV → al revés; (= untidily) → patas arriba
to turn sth upside-down → volver algo al revés (fig) → revolverlo todo
we turned everything upside-down looking for it → al buscarlo lo revolvimos todo, en la búsqueda lo registramos todo de arriba abajo

B. ADJ → al revés
to be upside-down → estar al revés
the room was upside-down → reinaba el desorden en el cuarto, en el cuarto todo estaba patas arriba

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

upside-down

adj

in an upside-down position → verkehrt herum; to be upside-down (picture) → verkehrt herum hängen, auf dem Kopf stehen; (world) → kopfstehen; an upside-down map of Britain → eine auf dem Kopf stehende Karte Großbritanniens; a pineapple upside-down cake → ein versunkener Ananaskuchen

(fig, = bizarre) the weather is completely upside-down → das Wetter spielt völlig verrückt (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

References in classic literature ?

First the Meeting: then the Eating: then the Treating--for I'm sure any Lecture you give us will be a treat!" said the Other Professor, who had been standing with his back to us all this time, occupying himself in taking the books out, one by one, and turning them upside-down. An easel, with a black board on it, stood near him: and, every time that he turned a book upside-down, he made a mark on the board with a piece of chalk.

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Their heads might have been turned upside-down, so absolutely did they tread upon blue ether.

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When he saw and heard the confusion and uproar on the beach later that night when Captain Kellar turned Tulagi upside-down in his search for Michael, the old one-legged one remained discreetly silent.

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By a sort of natural instinct, we, of course, eventually decided that the bottom was the top, and set to work to fix it upside-down. But it was a long time before we could get it up, either that way or any other way.

View in context

He was dressed in tin armour, which seemed to fit him very badly, and he had a queer-shaped little deal box fastened across his shoulder, upside-down, and with the lid hanging open.

You see I carry it upside-down, so that the rain can't get in.'

View in context

Each upside-down house will feature a number of different rooms for people to explore, with unique interior and exterior designs to reflect the character of its local surroundings.

Heads-up on a quirky attraction

Tribune News Network Doha Century 21 Qatar, an experienced real estate and professional property management company, has brought a unique opportunity for social media enthusiasts in Qatar the Upside-Down kiosk at Al Mirqab Mall.

Century 21 Qatar launches unique Upside-Down kiosk at Mirqab Mall

Century 21 Qatar has brought a "unique opportunity" for social media enthusiasts in Qatar -- the 'Upside-Down' kiosk at Al Mirqab Mall.

Century 21 Qatar presents photo-op at 'Upside-Down' kiosk

Anybody spot an upside-down rainbow in the sky over Newcastle?

Did you see this 'upside-down rainbow' in the Newcastle sky? The uncommon phenomenon, known as a circumzenithal arc, was pictured over Walker on Saturday evening; The uncommon phenomenon, known as a circumzenithal arc, was pictured over Walker on Saturday evening

Upside-down arches will replace right-side up golden arches for the first time in the brand's history to honor the "extraordinary accomplishments of women everywhere," Lewis said.

McDonald's Flips Iconic Arches Upside Down To Honor Women's Day

Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins' Upside-Down magic: Showing off (9780545800532, $14.99) is especially recommended for middle school readers as it explores the dilemma of an 'upside-down magic' class where the kids are charged with keeping their magic under wraps, and what happens when a school-wide show causes that magic to go awry.