uppers and downers—
1. positive and negative fluctuations in fortune, business, etc.:
- In the case of both the uppers and the downers, it would be a good idea to examine the companies more closely to see how meaningful these one-year trends are.
2. (dated coll.) teeth:
- The film pokes fun of the idyllic, monochromatic life in the 1950s—a time when uppers and downers meant teeth and problems were purely mathematical.
3. (Drugs) stimulants and depressants:
- Not too long after this I started taking downers in order to go to sleep. Now I was taking uppers to wake up and downers to sleep.
ups and downs—
1. irregularities on the surface of ground, etc.:
- He had forgotten that the road was narrow, twisting and full of ups and downs, which slowed them down continuously.
2. = uppers and downers 1:
- The net effect of this large-scale gambling in raw materials, with its feverish ups and downs, has been to weaken Britain’s world position.
See also: high and low / up and down.