to turn a frown upside down
1
6.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
sacar una sonrisa
- This is just one of those songs that can instantly turn a frown upside down just by watching it, plus you have the members of SNSD smiling and dancing in their pastel rainbow shorts.
Examples
-
A funny movie always helps to turn a frown upside down and lift my spirits.
-
She told a hilarious joke that made everyone turn their frowns upside down.
-
Listening to upbeat music can really turn a frown upside down when you're feeling down.
Synonyms
392
1.0
To make someone feel happier
234
1.4
To feel happier after being sad or to make someone feel happier
69
4.1
To become or make someone feel more cheerful and relaxed
54
1.0
Cause someone to feel happy or amused
8
2.8
To make someone feel happier or more cheerful
8
3.9
To make someone feel happier
1
3.9
To make someone feel happier when they are sad
1
3.4
Help someone feel happier
Make someone feel less sad and more cheerful
To try to make someone feel happier when they are sad
Antonyms
How Cheerful
Surface Forms
Morphology
turn + a + frown + upside + down
The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'turn' (change), 'frown' (an unhappy facial expression) and 'upside down' (invert), so the image of inverting a frown naturally implies making it into a smile or making someone happier. This compositional, visual metaphor is common across languages and follows regular English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents is likely to understand it.
Etymology
Turn a frown upside down comes from a simple picture: if you turn a frown, a mouth turned down, the other way it becomes a smile. So the phrase means 'to make someone feel happier'.