Depressed”, “down”. If that was the definition you wanted, here it is.
And now a quick digression…
In general, idioms are like sparrows: every year some are born, others disappear, and no one ever pays the slightest attention to these comings and goings. Most idioms don’t even get their place in any dictionary, rising and disappearing among the people. Others, however, cling with nails and teeth (or wings and beaks) to common use. They stay in the language, survive centuries and come to us today, reading posts on Mairo Vergara .
What makes some expressions survive and fatten in popular usage while others disappear and become mere analytical material for cachectic philologists?
My theory – natural selection. It’s the only possible conclusion when we look at their behavior. Some expressions change their meaning as times progress and thus manage to survive. Others make use of a peculiar mechanism: the evolutionary sound. It is thanks to the evolutionary sound that expressions like down in the dumps guarantee their place in the dictionary and in our mouths.
Check this out: read down in the dumps aloud. Is it not a certain pleasure to speak and hear the expression? It’s perfect: the two “d”s, going well with the sound of “th”, plus that explosive “p” at the end. It’s a phrase that you can taste, like a Sonho de Valsa bonbon . And that’s why, for this single absurd reason, we continue to guarantee the survival of down in the dumps in our daily lives .
But OK, I know you’re not here to read nonsense. Let’s stop stalling and get to what matters: meanings and examples.
Dump comes from an old verb meaning “to play”. Coming from there, the word acquired the meaning of a place where people throw garbage (a dump) or other unpleasant residues (cesspits). To be down in the dumps literally means “being down in the pit” – a very expressive image to say that someone is “down” or “depressed”.
Now that you know, check out the phrases below and don’t forget to annotate one or two on Anki for your reviews.
He was either down in the dumps or up high.
He was either down or he was up.
(Funny phrase, isn’t it? Or down or up…)
She’s a bit down in the dumps because she failed one of her exams.
She’s a little depressed because she didn’t pass one of the exams.
It was all very sad and everyone was down in the dumps .
Everything was very sad and everyone was depressed .
She’s feeling a bit down in the dumps and needs cheering up.
She’s a little down and needs to be cheered up.
She’s down in the dumps because all her friends are out of town.
She is depressed because all her friends are out of town.
Molly’s been moping around all week, and I have no idea why she’s so down in the dumps .
Molly has been dragging around all week and I have no idea why she is so depressed .
Rob has been down in the dumps ever since Gloria broke up with him.
Rob has been down since Gloria dumped him.
I guess I’m just down in the dumps .
I think I’m just depressed .
Some Mondays I just feel in the dumps .
Some Mondays I just feel depressed .
Tom’s a bit down in the dumps . Let’s try to cheer him up.
Tom is a little depressed . Let’s try to cheer him up.
She’s feeling a bit down in the dumps .
She is feeling a little down
