the.com/ups and downs
The polite euphemism for a life that refuses to hold still.
means The mix of good and bad periods that any life, relationship, or venture inevitably goes through.
from A straightforward metaphor from physical motion — rising and falling, like terrain or a road — applied to fortune since at least the 1600s. The phrase 'ups and downs of life' took hold as English speakers reached for the image of a bumpy path or a rolling sea to describe how fortune refuses to travel in a straight line.
- origin
- Phrase traces to 1600s English describing road terrain
- psychology
- Humans adapt to highs faster than lows, research shows
- misconception
- Implies balance, but downs usually feel heavier
- usage
- Often said right before admitting something much worse