{"id":3516,"date":"2022-05-25T17:51:18","date_gmt":"2022-05-25T17:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3516"},"modified":"2022-05-25T17:51:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-25T17:51:18","slug":"down-for-the-count-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/down-for-the-count-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Down For the Count \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking for a way to describe someone asleep or unconscious? Maybe your kids had a busy day at the park, and they are exhausted? If so, you could say they are \u201c<em>down for the count<\/em>.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The expression \u201c<em>down for the count<\/em>\u201d means that someone is asleep or unconscious and isn\u2019t getting up. The person could be in this state due to someone or something striking them and knocking them out, or it can refer to a state of exhaustion when the person is fast asleep after a hard day's work or play.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The saying can also mean that someone has given up on a task and isn\u2019t returning to it. It can also mean that they cannot function normally due to illness or that they are \u201cout of commission\u201d and not able to meet their responsibilities or obligations.<\/p>\n<p>The expression can refer to people of all ages and all genders. It doesn\u2019t always have to include a context of violence when used in conversation.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cLook at the kids. They are down for the count after all that excitement today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know what to say, this problem has got me down for the count, and I don\u2019t know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMan, I really went down for the count last night, it was a long day, and I was so tired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSally went down for the count on that one. The boss asked her why she was posting on Instagram when she was supposed to be at work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going down for the count. There\u2019s no way I can keep my eyes open anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe dropped him with one punch, and the guy went down for the count.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3517\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Down-for-the-Count.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"117\" height=\"112\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3518\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Down-for-the-Count2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"291\" height=\"240\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>Language experts are unsure of the expression's origin, \"down for the count.\" However, many believe that it comes from the sport of boxing. When boxers enter the ring, the goal is to \"knock down\" their opponent.<\/p>\n<p>If there are more than three knockdowns in a round, the fighter earns a TKO (technical knockout) over their opponent. However, the boxer may experience a severe knockdown that leaves them stunned and unable to get to their feet in some cases.<\/p>\n<p>The referee then starts the \"count\" to ten. If the boxer can't return to their feet, they are \"down for the count.\"<\/p>\n<p>The earliest use of the expression in print comes from the Newark Daily Advocate newspaper in 1900, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\"Jack root, the undefeated middleweight of Chicago at Tattersall's obtained the decision over Dick O'Brien of Lewiston, Maine, at the end of six rounds, after one of the fiercest battles ever witnessed in this city. O'Brien was in poor condition or probably the result would have been different, as he had Root down for the count three times in the second round.\"<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What does down for the count mean?\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rkrvqXIMKDo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Down for the Count<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Out cold.<\/li>\n<li>Burned out.<\/li>\n<li>All washed up.<\/li>\n<li>Down and out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Down for the Count<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>All ears.<\/li>\n<li>Up and at em.<\/li>\n<li>Ready for anything.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Down for the count.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Down for the Count Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>Using \"down for the count\" to describe physical violence is not incorrect, but it's not the phrase's common use. The expression describes someone who is passed out from exhaustion or who gives up on a task.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Down for the Count<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the expression \"down for the count\" when you're telling someone that you're not capable of going any further or you give up. You can also use it when describing other people's behavior relating to failing or giving up on something.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase suits social and professional use. You could use it at home to describe how your kids passed out after a day of excitement. Or you could use it at work to explain how you're at a loss to come up with a solution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking for a way to describe someone asleep or unconscious? Maybe your kids had a busy day at the park, and they are exhausted? If so, you could say they are \u201cdown for the count.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u201cdown for the count\u201d means [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3516"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3516"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3875,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3516\/revisions\/3875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}