down and out
4
7.7
- idiom
- /daʊn ənd aʊt/
:
desamparado
- Even the most down and out deserve a place where they can feel welcome.
- really down and out
- feeling down and out
- down and out, man
Being up all night, you know, like the letter goes, now I'm down and out, I'll be up all night going for a walk on these cold streets.
- Being up all night, you know, like the letter goes, now I'm down and out, I'll be up all night going for a walk on these cold streets.
- Sometimes we will struggle, we will be down and out and feel like our that's it for us.
Examples
-
When people are down and out, they will lean towards someone with their hand out for help; it is a natural impulse.
Blog text (8) -
I gave you money when you were down and out, right?
-
I was down and out.
-
You know from my story that I know how bad it is to be down and out.
Blog text (7) -
I have been down and out.
Blog text (8) -
And when you're down and out, you know that you can count on me, 'cause you know that I see you.
-
When you're on top, everyone wants a piece; when you're down and out, no one comes around.
Blog text (31) -
If you're feeling down and out and it's tough and you're not getting results, the first step is use regret to fuel you.
-
People are frustrated and feeling down and out and were hoping that New Orleans would be back to normal by now.
-
When you're down and out, no one seems to care about your problems.
Synonyms
50
6.2
People or places that have very little money and few things they need
21
3.9
Not having basic things like enough food, a safe home, or clean water
20
6.5
Very poor and without basic things like food or a home
9
5.1
Very poor and needing help to live
1
8.2
Looking old and in poor condition because of poverty
Very poor and only able to pay for basic needs like food
Being very short of money and struggling to pay for things
To get into serious trouble because of bad money choices
Antonyms
How Poor
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts 'down' (low, depressed) and 'out' (excluded, without) each contribute a sense of adversity, so a learner who knows the words can infer a general meaning of being in a bad situation. However, the specific sense of chronic poverty or destitution is a conventionalized idiomatic extension that is not fully predictable from the parts, so precise meaning may require prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrase down and out comes from boxing: when a boxer is knocked down and then knocked out, he is beaten and cannot get up. So today the phrase describes someone who is 'very poor' or has no home.