pass down

pass (something) down (to someone)

1. To give something from a higher position to someone at a lower position. Can be used either literally or figuratively. While you're up on the roof, would you pass the measuring tape down to me? I left it up there yesterday. Due to new regulations passed down to us from our managers, I'm no longer authorized to give refunds for any reason other than defective goods.
2. To pass something to the person next to one, so that it may then be passed to the next person, and so on. Pass these worksheets down the aisle, please. Take a card and pass the stack down to the person behind you.
3. To bequeath or bestow something to another person, especially a young sibling or other relation. Nearly all the clothes I had as a kid were passed down to me by my brother. Instead of throwing away those toys, why don't you pass them down to your cousin's kids?
See also: down, pass
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

pass something down (to someone)

 and pass something on (to someone)
1. to send something down a line of people to someone. (Each person hands it to the next.) Please pass this down to Mary at the end of the row. Pass down this box to Mary.
2. to will something to someone. My grandfather passed this watch down to me. He passed on the watch to me.
See also: down, pass
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

pass down

v.
1. To transfer something from a higher level to a lower one: I passed the can of paint down to my friend who was painting the window. The main office passes down simple requests to our help department.
2. To transfer something to the next member of a sequence: Each player takes one card and passes it down to the next player.
3. To bestow something to someone, especially a younger relative: I passed down my old clothes to my younger sister. My parents passed a strong work ethic down to all of my brothers and sisters.
See also: down, pass
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • pass (something) down (to someone)
  • have (one's) foot on (someone's) neck
  • bring (one) up for (something)
  • bring up for
  • jockey for position
  • jockey for position, to
  • jockeying for position
  • elevate
  • elevate (someone or something) to (something)
  • elevate to
References in periodicals archive
'They will pass down to retailers and wholesalers, eventually it will pass down to consumers,' he said, noting: 'But over a medium term, I can assure you this will pass down.
Higher electricity charges could be passed to consumers, retailers say
A medicine woman can't cure a family member, or pass down that knowledge directly to a family member, she says.
Student blends traditional knowledge with academics
I agree entirely with the article "Please pass down the faith" by Karen Sue Smith in the November issue.
You May Be Right
Around 2000 veterans will turn their backs and whistle wartime anthem Colonel Bogey as she and Akihito pass down The Mall in a horse-drawn carriage.
Queen's go-ahead for PoW protest
"They can no longer pass down increased resin costs because very aggressive companies, like Home Depot and Wal-Mart, are forcing their suppliers into long-term fixed-price contracts." He says this is also true of many food processors and producers of consumer goods and beverages.
How to hedge your bets on resin pricing
The second intent of the book is to sum "up the wisdom" the author has acquired while working in the United States, assets he wishes "to pass down to new social scientists" (ix).
Death, Deeds, and Descendants: Inheritance in Modern America
"We have the time of delivery and tray pass down to eight to twelve minutes as a result of this team approach," noted Schultz.
How we straightened out the meal service using CQI: a small example of a major approach to problem-solving
The "Safety" (S5) sprints toward the first potential pass receiver on the sideline on the wide side of the court to deny the quick pass down that sideline.
The full court zone press and multiple stunts part I: the 1-2-1-1 press
Salary: Trained salespeople can make upwards of $1,500 to $2,000 a week, but "you have to hit the ground running," says Smaltz, whose clientele are high-net-worth individuals ranging from the owners of major oil companies to grandmothers looking to buy coins to pass down to future generations.
Keeper of the coins
Like some mammalian musicians, stripe-backed wrens pass down song repertoires within families.
He sings Dad's songs; she sings Mom's
This will force the defense to play them on the high side in order to prevent a post entry pass down low.
The triangle offense off a 1-4 set
However, the step from partially filled buckytubes to "quantum" wires so narrow that electrons must, in effect, pass down them in single file remains a large one.
Getting lead atoms into carbon nanotubes