"There are so many two-syllable words ending with “down.”"
"There are so many two-syllable words ending with “down.”"
As a result of its deployment against the novel coronavirus, the two-syllable English word “lockdown” has come to be etched in the consciousness of every Filipino. But lockdown is not the only two-syllable English word whose second syllable is “down.” There are many others, some positive in character and others negative. Let’s look at a few of such words.
There, for starters, is knockdown. Knockdown is negative when it is used in the boxing context—one of the protagonists receives a blow that causes him to drop to the floor of the ring—and positive when it is used in manufacturing operations to connote a product, such as a motor vehicle or a piece of furniture, that is marketed in dismantled form.
Showdown is another two-syllable English word ending in “down.” A showdown takes place when two individuals or groups of individuals confront one another, to put an end to a contentious situation. When thinking of a showdown, people who are old enough remember the film “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral which was set in the gunslinging era of America’s Wild West.
Shutdown has the same meaning and significance as lockdown. However, shutdown is the preferred word when the subject matter is a structure, such as a building or factory.
Another two-syllable “down” word, touchdown, has a positive connotation whether used in a transportation context or a sports context. The touchdown of an aircraft is a felicitous thing and so is a US football player’s scoring points with a touchdown.
A markdown is not a good thing. Assets undergo a markdown when they are not sold despite their having been on sale for a long period. Prolonged economic crises give rise to markdowns.
When a person does not honor a promise or fails to live up to expectations of him, one speaks of a letdown. Being at the receiving end of a letdown is a very sad experience.
Still another two-syllable English word ending in down has an administrative—sometimes sinister—connotation, An official of an institution can ask an underling for a rundown on an individual or on a program of activities. The requested rundown may merely be intended to update the official with regard to someone or something that has not been receiving the official's close attention. But, as indicated, a request for a rundown can have a similar connotation. A request from an official of an investigative or security institution for a rundown on the activities of an individual can only mean that the individual is a person of interest to that institution.
Shakedown is another example. It is a negative word. It bespeaks corrupt behavior, one person tries to extort money or favors from another person by means of threats or exposure of incriminating information.
Another two-syllable word ending in "down" is meltdown. Its primary connotation is technical—the meltdown of a nuclear reactor, for instance. But meltdown can also connote a situation in which an individual's mental or emotional condition deteriorates to a point where he or she is unable to function in a rational and stable manner.
Yet another example of a two-syllable English word ending with "down" is rubdown. A rubdown is administered when a person is feeling very tired or is experiencing chills or has an unusually high temperature. A rubdown is a highly pleasurable process.
As can be seen, the English language has so many two-syllable words ending in "down" that one can speak of it as having the Down Syndrome.