down for the count
10
8.1
- idiom
- Informal
- The entire team was down for the count after playing three long matches in a row.
- went down for the count
Examples
-
Morrie went down for the count.
Fiction book (1990) -
He's going down for the count.
-
Hey, the guy's down for the count.
-
I was down for the count.
-
I'm sure she'll be going down for the count soon.
-
You're down for the count after just one hit.
-
He's down for the count.
-
He's down for the count, writhing on the floor.
Fiction book (1999) -
Maz, you're down for the count, bro.
-
After running the marathon, I was down for the count and needed to rest.
Synonyms
28
6.3
Unable to move or act normally after illness such as an injury
9
5.6
Not able to work because you are sick or injured and must stay in bed
5
4.6
Not awake after a strong hit to the head
5
7.0
Very weak and lacking energy because of illness or injury
1
7.2
Being very tired or worn out and about to break down
Antonyms
How Exhausted
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although 'down' can signal being incapacitated, the phrase 'for the count' draws on a boxing-specific meaning of being counted out, which is not inferable from the basic sense of 'count' (a tally). The overall meaning 'completely exhausted or unable to continue' relies on this idiomatic sports metaphor and is not transparently composed from the constituent words, so a B1 learner who only knows the literal meanings would likely not predict it.
Etymology
The idiom down for the count comes from boxing, where a boxer who is knocked down must stand up before the referee finishes the count, and if he cannot he is 'out'. That's why today the phrase means 'completely unable to continue' or 'very exhausted'.