(one's) whole world was turned upside down
One's entire outlook, circumstances, or lifestyle were affected or altered (by some event), usually negatively. When I was rejected by the university that was my top choice, my whole world was turned upside down. Lena's whole world was turned upside down when her mom died, and it took a long time for her to find her way again. When I had to close my store, it felt like my whole world was turned upside down. But it turned out to be the best thing because it allowed me to find my real passion in life—painting.
be upside down
1. Literally, to be inverted vertically; to have the topmost part oriented or pointing at the bottom. The car was upside down on the road when paramedics arrived. I had to turn the bottle upside down to get the very last bit of shampoo The refrigerator was upside down on the side of the road, so I'm assuming it fell off of the back of a truck or something.
2. To be in a state of utter chaos, confusion, or disorder. Sometimes I worry about bringing children into the world when the whole world is upside down. The entire continent has been upside down since the outbreak of the war. That whole area is totally upside down now, because of the hurricane. There's just debris everywhere.
3. To have more debt than something is worth or earning. The entire economy has been upside down for the last five years, yet the politicians act as though everything is fine. The collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market means that millions of people now have properties that are upside down and all but worthless compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars they owe for their mortgage. A: "You want to sell your car, but your car loan is upside down?" B: "Yeah, I still owe $10,000 on it, and it's only worth $7,000 at this point!"
be upside down on (something)
To have more debt outstanding on something than it is worth. I want to sell my car, but I'm upside down on my loan. I still owe $10,000 on it, and it's only worth $7,000 at this point! The collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market means that millions of people are now upside down on their mortgages. I made a sizable down payment so that I wouldn't be upside down on my loan.
get upside down
1. To invert one's body vertically. My yoga instructor believes that getting upside down each day helps alleviate pressure on your spine. Of course my daredevil child is the only one who has to get upside down on the monkey bars. A: "I'm sorry, but I just don't have the arm strength to get upside down." B: "That's OK—you just kick your legs up and we'll hold you in a handstand."
2. To incur more debt for something than it is worth. The value of my car depreciated so quickly that I found myself getting upside down on the loan I took out to buy it. I made a sizable down payment so that I wouldn't get upside down on my loan. A: "You want to sell your car, but you got upside down on your car loan?" B: "Yeah, I still owe $10,000 on it, and it's only worth $7,000 at this point!"
on the upside
Considering the positive, beneficial, advantageous, etc., aspects of a situation, especially one that is or would be otherwise negative, detrimental, or disadvantageous. My wife went into labor while we were still away in Europe. The whole ordeal was really stressful, but on the upside, our son now has EU citizenship!
turn (one's) life upside down
To drastically or fundamentally alter one's outlook, circumstances, or way of life. I always dreamed of being a lawyer, so flunking out of law school turned my whole life upside down. Lena's whole life was turned upside down when her mom died, and it took a long time for her to feel any semblance of normality. Such sudden wealth turned his life upside down, as he traded in his shoebox apartment for a luxury mansion in a matter of months.
turn (one's) world upside down
To drastically or fundamentally alter one's outlook, circumstances, or way of life. I always dreamed of being a lawyer, so flunking out of law school turned my whole world upside down. Lena's whole world was turned upside down when her mom died, and it took a long time for her to feel any semblance of normality. Such sudden wealth turned his world upside down, as he traded in his shoebox apartment for a luxury mansion in a matter of months.
turn (someone or something) upside down
1. Literally, to physically invert someone or something. I can't go on those roller coasters that turn you upside down—they make me so nauseous.
2. To carefully examine or search a particular place (often creating a mess in the process). Can you believe I turned the entire house upside down looking for an invitation that was on my refrigerator the whole time?
3. To affect or alter one's outlook, circumstances, or lifestyle, usually negatively. Being rejected by the university that was my top choice turned my whole world upside down. Lena was turned upside down when her mom died, and it took a long time for her to find her way again.
4. To cause or introduce significant changes to something, often as a way of attempting to improve it or change its course. This method of filing is so inefficient that I think it's time to turn the whole process upside down.
turn (something) inside out
1. To turn the inside part or surface of something outward; to reverse something. I was in such a rush this morning that I didn't even notice that I had turned my shirt inside out before putting it on.
2. To carefully examine or search a particular place or thing, especially when creating a mess or disorder in the process. I turned the entire house inside out looking for my passport. Federal agents turned the suspect's car inside out in their search for incriminating evidence.
3. To affect or alter something completely or very dramatically. Being rejected from my top choice of university really turned my whole world inside out.
upside down
1. adjective Literally, inverted vertically; having the topmost part oriented or pointing at the bottom. Hyphenated if used before a noun. Emergency services found the car upside down on the road. Someone left an upside-down refrigerator on the side of the road.
2. adjective In a state of utter chaos, confusion, or disorder. Hyphenated if used before a noun. Sometimes I worry about bringing children into this upside-down world of ours. The entire continent has been left upside down as a result of this war.
3. adjective Having or incurring more debt than someone or something is worth or earning. Hyphenated if used before a noun. The collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market meant that millions of people have been left with upside-down properties that are all but worthless compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars they owe for their mortgage. The entire economy has been upside down for the last five years, yet the politicians act as though everything is fine.
4. adverb In or into a physically inverted position or orientation. I had to turn the bottle upside down to get the very last bit of shampoo.
5. adverb In or into a chaotic, confused, or disordered state or manner. My life has been turned upside down since having kids.
6. adverb In or into a drastically new or changed state or manner. The new CEO turned the company completely upside down in an attempt to bring it back into profitability.
7. adverb Very thoroughly. Federal agents searched the offices upside down for any evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
upside the head
On or against the top or side of one's head. My mother wasn't afraid of smacking me upside the head if I misbehaved. He didn't see the beam swinging towards him, and it ended up bashing him upside the head.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.