upside down

upside down

1. adjective Literally, inverted vertically; having the topmost part oriented or pointing at the bottom. Hyphenated if used before a noun. Emergency services found the car upside down on the road. Someone left an upside-down refrigerator on the side of the road.
2. adjective In a state of utter chaos, confusion, or disorder. Hyphenated if used before a noun. Sometimes I worry about bringing children into this upside-down world of ours. The entire continent has been left upside down as a result of this war.
3. adjective Having or incurring more debt than someone or something is worth or earning. Hyphenated if used before a noun. The collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market meant that millions of people have been left with upside-down properties that are all but worthless compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars they owe for their mortgage. The entire economy has been upside down for the last five years, yet the politicians act as though everything is fine.
4. adverb In or into a physically inverted position or orientation. I had to turn the bottle upside down to get the very last bit of shampoo.
5. adverb In or into a chaotic, confused, or disordered state or manner. My life has been turned upside down since having kids.
6. adverb In or into a drastically new or changed state or manner. The new CEO turned the company completely upside down in an attempt to bring it back into profitability.
7. adverb Very thoroughly. Federal agents searched the offices upside down for any evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
See also: down, upside
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

*upside-down

Fig. in a financial state such that one owes more money on a car, truck, house, etc., than its resale value. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) When I tried to trade in the car, I found that I was upside-down and couldn't close the deal without more money. I took a loan period that was too long and was upside-down in two years.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • upside-down
  • dooper
  • top out
  • duper
  • double or nothing
  • a round robin
  • round robin
  • eleventh hour
  • bleeding edge
  • black market
References in periodicals archive
One user, Umair Khan, posted: "Flag is indeed upside down. Should have done it with respect, whether it is Pakistan or India Flag."
Pakistan flag orientation on Dubai's Burj Khalifa angers expats
As part of the partnership with intu, Upside Down Houses will open at properties including Manchester's Trafford Centre, Braehead in Glasgow and Merry Hill in Dudley.
Heads-up on a quirky attraction
An employee holds on to the toilet seat in the bathroom in The Upside Down House
What feeling when you dance on intu's ceiling
Tuesday -- Upside Down Day -- Pancake / Syrup, Sausage Patty, Hashbrown, Juice, Milk
Today -- Tornado, Fruit Cocktail, Toast, Milk, Juice
An upside down flag is an SOS signal indicating extreme danger or distress, defence sources said.
Video shows upside down Pak flag at border base destroyed in Indian firing
Here is the MIRROR ALPHABET, which are all of the capital letters that look the same upside down as right-side up: B C D E H I K N O X
"DOG" IS A Magic Science Word
All the rooms have real-life furniture and fittings, which are safely secured to the ceilings, and it even features a pair of slippers have been stuck upside down.
Topsy turvy world
The theme for this year is "upside down city" which invites people to visit the artworks and explore Taipei city during night time.
2018 Nuit Blanche Taipei kicks off on October 6 all night with metro opening
On Grande's Instagram account, the singer posted three photos in a row with the same upside down "no tears left to cry" statement -- implying a new era coming.
Ariana Grande to release new music on Friday
He developed the almost unknown discipline in the circus world called Upside Down Walk which he has performed around the world.
Upside-Down Show brings Kai Leclerc to Mall of Qatar
Kai developed the almost unknown discipline in the circus world called 'Upside Down' walk which he has performed around the world.
'Upside-Down' show at MOQ
What OnePlus may have meant is that the effect is a natural consequence of having put the display panel upside down, which is also an intentional design, not an accident.
OnePlus 5 Flipped Screen Might Be Cause of Jelly Scrolling
Laso's Otherwise Known as Possum (9780545927956, $16.99) tells of a young girl whose life is turned upside down when she loses her mother and her father sends her to school for the first time - a school where you have to wear certain clothes and behave in certain ways.
Scholastic Inc
Synopsis: The fundamental premise of "Upside Down: How We Can Avoid Becoming the United States of China" by Dan Meyer (who describes himself as being an imperfect Christian who knows this is not the time to turn the other cheek) is that economically and politically speaking, we Americans have had it pretty good since the end of WWII.
Upside Down
MULTAN -- Police personnel's bizarre act of investigation came forward when they hanged a suspect upside down in the canal in Multan for confession.
Policemen hang suspect in canal for confession