to look up and down
3
3.7
- phrasal verb
:
mirar de arriba abajo
- The Commander looked up and down the rows of his men.
- looked up and down the street
- looked up and down the hall
- looked up and down the corridor
Examples
-
The Chief Elder looked up and down the line of his fellows.
Fiction book (1992) -
The teacher looked up and down the line of students, assessing their readiness for the exam.
-
I looked up and down the street.
-
I looked up and down the train.
-
We went out to the end of the yard and looked up and down the street.
Fiction book (2001) -
Then he looked up and down the street again, shut the door, and sat down.
Fiction book (1993) -
Scott steps off the sidewalk and looks up and down the street.
Fiction book (1991) -
Jeff looks up and down the street, trying to figure out where they're watching from.
Fiction book (1997) -
Lainey stood and looked up and down the court.
Fiction book (1990) -
With his ears still ringing from the truck horn, Curt looked up and down the street.
Fiction book (1999)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Study something carefully to understand it or decide
∞
1.3
To look at something to check it or find information
670
2.4
To look at someone or something carefully to understand it
412
1.3
To check something carefully, for example an essay or a machine
357
1.0
To look at something carefully
241
3.2
To look at someone or something carefully
28
3.8
To look at someone or something carefully to form an opinion
1
7.4
To look at a person or thing with interest
To look at someone with interest to judge or admire them
Antonyms
How Thorough
- US
70
6.2
202
2.5
3
3.7
127
2.7
150
2.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'look' combined with the directional elements 'up' and 'down' conveys scanning from top to bottom or head to toe. This verb + direction pattern is a common, literal construction (found across many languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Look up and down comes from the simple image of moving your eyes from someone's head to their toes as you literally look up and down to see every part. That's why it means 'to examine closely' or 'to judge' someone or something.