Maree’s Musings

UP and DOWN and OUT … and IN?

Four little words with a few simple meanings. HAH! Don’t be fooled; they can be used UP IN a multitude of ways.
I found OUT, starting OUT, when it comes DOWN to it, that UP has many meanings. If you are UP to it, look UP UP IN your dictionary. It takes UP almost a page, adding UP to many definitions. Experts can get DOWN to work and work OUT more; building UP a list of other ways IN which UP is used.  It will take UP a lot of time, but if you don’t give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more. It’s UP to you! 
UP doesn’t need direction. There’s wake UP, speak UP, write UP, mixed UP, call UP, brighten UP, polish UP, warm UP, clean UP, lock UP, fix UP, stir UP (trouble!), line UP, work UP an appetite – by working OUT, maybe. Getting to the top of your game needs UPskilling. Talk yourself UP. Good to be OUT IN front. Going UP? Inside – UPstairs; skywards – UP IN the air.

By now you will fathom OUT that our other words, not to be OUTclassed or DOWNgraded, are IN the running. DOWN, OUT and IN are on the UP and UP, UP there with ‘UP’. UP turns UP where you least expect, and IN, IN all sorts of places. OUT is OUT there, DOWN is UP right now.
Want to UP your fitness level? Get DOWN to the gym, open UP, warm UP, work UP a sweat, cool DOWN, CLOSE up. Not INto that? Think UP excuses.
Using your computer: Power UP, log IN, get DOWN to work, finish UP, log OUT and shut DOWN.
Going OUT on the town? Joining the IN crowd? Get OUT of your pj’s, take your best OUTfit DOWN from the hanger, your shoes OUT of where they’re IN, put ON your makeUP, and dress UP. [Quite different from ‘dressing DOWN’, of course.]
Drain blocked UP? Open it UP, look DOWN and clear it OUT. IN plumbing, there’s DOWN the drain and UP the spout. Similarly UP s**t creek (withOUT a paddle) – or UP the booai, DOWN the gurgler. So being UP or DOWN, makes no odds. DOWN and OUT is not a good place to be IN.
The weather? The sun’s OUT, but it’s clouding UP. A DOWNpour? Puddles fill UP. Then it clears UP and things dry UP. Our days fit IN between SUNUP and SUNDOWN. At night the moon’s UP IN the sky and the stars are OUT.
Sometimes all our four little words come OUT meaning the same. Feeling hemmed IN? DOWN? OUT of sorts? Washed OUT? Pop OUT/IN/DOWN/UP to the village and splash OUT on a treat, catch UP with a friend. Our local cafes will welcome you IN, feed you UP. You will cheer UP. You can even play UP if you want, but don’t let things get OUT of hand. Try not to pig OUT, throw UP or pass OUT. The UPshot of a ballsUP such as this will get you OUT of favour and DOWN IN everybody’s estimation.
Are readers UP for a challenge? Try OUT your hand and make UP something with these: INside/OUTside, UPside/DOWNside, UPsideDOWN/DOWNsideUP. The UPpercase is to help you OUT.
IN conclusion, I’m DOWN to two corny jokes to cheer you UP.
Q: What do you call a duck flying UPsideDOWN?
A: Quacking UP.
Q: How do you get DOWN from an elephant?
A: You don’t, you get DOWN from a duck.
Finally my time’s UP, so I’ll wrap it UP and shut UP!! Over and OUT.