down with the flu
5
3.3
- idiom
:
con gripe
- My mother was down with the flu all last week and couldn't go to work.
- come down with the flu
- just came down with the flu
Examples
-
The thing about him, he's down with the flu.
-
I think I might be coming down with the flu.
Fiction book (1998) -
Thanks, but we're all down with the flu.
-
Six years ago when we were both down with the flu.
-
To tell you the truth, I thought I was probably coming down with the flu.
Fiction book (1996) -
At first, she thought she might be coming down with the flu.
Fiction book (2000) -
Perhaps she was coming down with the flu.
Fiction book (1995) -
I'm coming down with the flu.
Blog text (19) -
Your mom thinks she's coming down with the flu.
Fiction book (2002) -
Dr. Hunt and Dr. Yang are down with the flu.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Not well because of illness
21
5.3
Feeling slightly ill and not your usual self
18
1.0
Feeling slightly sick or uncomfortable
Antonyms
How Sick
- Specialized
50
3.0
13
3.0
5
3.3
∞
1.0
3
1.8
- Informal
21
5.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning can be partially inferred from the parts: 'down' can signal feeling unwell or low, and 'with' links that state to an illness ('flu'), so a learner might guess it means suffering from the flu. However, 'down with' is a specific collocational use where 'down' shifts toward 'illness' rather than just 'sad', which may not be fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Down with the flu comes from the simple image of being down, too weak to get up, because of the flu, so you stay in bed. That's why it means 'suffering from the flu'.