I. adverb
Etymology: Middle English up and down
1. : to and fro : backward and forward
spent the night pacing up and down
2. : here and there especially throughout an area
looking for him up and down
3.
a. : with regard to every particular : thoroughly , completely
his home state which he knows up and down
looked her up and down before speaking
b. : without holding back : bluntly , directly
told him up and down he was a fool
4. : into or in a vertical position — used of a cable when the anchor is under or nearly under the bow
II. noun
( plural ups and downs )
1. ups and downs plural
a. : alternating rise and fall especially in fortune or degree of success : alternation , fluctuation , vicissitude
jogging along with ups and downs and plenty of worries and some satisfactions — F.M.Ford
a little weary of the perpetual ups and downs of her mood — J.W.Krutch
b. : an undulation or irregularity (as on the surface of the ground)
a difficult route with many ups and downs
2. : a quick examining look
gave me the up and down, and I saw that he remembered me — Popular Magazine
3. : a design or texture that changes in appearance when the material is viewed from a different angle and that must be placed upright in order to obtain the desired effect
the pieces of a pattern can be placed closely on this solid-color fabric because it has no up and down