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go down
1. To lower, sink, or fall. We need to get home before the sun goes down! Police are still investigating the site where the private plane went down last night. Stocks in the company have gone down for the third straight week in a row.
2. To occur, happen, or unfold, as of an event or action. We need to figure out what went down here before we can press any charges.
3. To be accepted, tolerated, or acknowledged. I don't think my business proposal went down too well with the board members. How do you think the news will go down with your parents?
4. vulgar slang To perform oral sex.
be history
1. To be dead, destroyed, or in deep trouble after something negative happens. Almost always used in a figurative sense. I just got bad news from the auto repair shop—my car is history. You'll be history once the principal finds out you plagiarized that paper.
2. To be a thing of the past; to be no longer relevant. A: "I thought that you didn't get along with Jenny." B: "Oh, that's history! We're friends now." Can you please clean out all this junk? Cassette tapes are history, and there's no reason to keep them!
on the wrong side of history
A phrase usually used to describe outdated political decisions or practices. Someone needs to tell the president that his sexist statements put him on the wrong side of history. You are on the wrong side of history if you think injustice will continue unchallenged in your country.
ancient history
slang Something that is very outdated or totally forgotten (often in favor of a more recent development). Oh, Jack is ancient history, we broke up weeks ago! Her interest in photography is ancient history now that she's started doing yoga.
ancient history
Fig. someone or something from so long ago as to be completely forgotten or no longer important, as a former relationship. Bob? I never think about Bob anymore. He's ancient history. His interest in joining the army is now ancient history.
go down
1. to sink below a normal or expected level or height. The plane went down in flames. Theship went down with all hands aboard.
2. . to descend to a lower measurement. Herfever wentdown. The price of the stock went down yesterday.
3. . to be swallowed. The medicine went down without any trouble at all. The pilll took simply would not go down.
4. . to fall or drop down, as when struck or injured. Sam went down when he was struck on the chin. The deer went down when it was hit with the arrow.
5. . Sl. to happen. Hey, man! What's going down? Something strange is going down around here.
6. . Sl. to be accepted. We'll just have to wait awhile to see how all this goes down. The proposal didn't go down very well with the manager.
7. . Sl. to be arrested. (Underworld.) Lefty didn't want to go down for a crime he didn't do. Mr. Big said that somebody had to go down for it, and he didn't care who.
go down (in history) (as someone or something)
to be recorded for history as a significant person or event. You will go down in history as the most stubborn woman who ever lived. She will go down as a very famous woman.
go down something
to descend something; to fall down something. She went down the ladder very carefully. I did not want to go down those steep stairs.
Happy is the country which has no history.
Prov. Since history tends to record only violent, unfortunate, or tumultuous events, a country with no history would be a country lucky enough to have no such unhappy events to record. The history of our country is so full of greed, violence, and dishonesty; happy is the country which has no history.
History repeats itself.
Prov. The same kinds of events seem to happen over and over. It seems that history is about to repeat itself for that poor country; it is about to be invaded again. Alan: The country is headed for an economic depression. Jane: How do you know? Alan: History repeats itself. The conditions now are just like the conditions before the last major depression.
I'm history.
Inf. Good-bye, I am leaving. I'm history. See you tomorrow. Later. I'm history.
(the) rest is history
Fig. Everyone knows the rest of the story that I am referring to. Bill: Then they arrested all the officers of the corporation, and the rest is history. Bob: Hey, what happened between you and Sue? Bill: Finally we realized that we could never get along, and the rest is history.
go down in history
to be recorded in a particular way
I think that, in the end, this will go down in history as a very important project. Usage notes: sometimes used in the form go down in the annals of history or go down in the history books: He hopes to go down in the history books as a man of vision who brought the country together.
history in the making
something very important that is happening now The broadcast gave a vivid account of medical history in the making.
make history
to do something important that will be remembered for a long time
Faulkner made history Wednesday when she became the first woman to register for classes at the all-male college. Usage notes: often said about something that has not been done before
the rest is history
everyone knows what happened next The Beatles toured the US, made records, had zillions of groupies, and the rest is history.
the rest is history
something that you say when you do not need to finish a story because everyone knows what happened The Beatles signed a recording contract in 1962 and the rest is history.
See There's no peace for the wicked!ancient history
A past event, as in She's talking about her sea voyage, but that's ancient history, or And then there was his divorce, but you don't want to hear ancient history. This hyperbolic idiom transfers the field of ancient history to a much-repeated tale.
go down
1. Descend to a lower level; drop below the horizon, fall to the ground, or sink. For example, Don't let the baby go down the stairs alone, or The sun went down behind the hill, or I was afraid the plane would go down, or The ship went down and all hands were lost. [c. 1300]
2. Experience defeat or ruin, as in They went down fighting, or The boxer went down in the first round. [Late 1500s]
3. Decrease, subside, as in After Christmas prices will go down, or As soon as the swelling goes down it won't hurt as much. [Second half of 1600s]
4. Be swallowed, as in This huge pill just won't go down, or Your wine goes down very smoothly. [Second half of 1500s]
5. Be accepted or believed, as in How did your speech at the convention go down? When it takes an object, it is put as go down with, as in It's hardly the truth but it still goes down with many voters. [c. 1600]
6. Also, go down in history. Be recorded or remembered, as in This event must go down in her book as one of the highlights of the year, or This debate will go down in history. [Late 1800s]
7. Occur, take place, as in
Really crazy behavior was going down in the sixties. [
Slang; mid-1900s] Also see
come down, def. 4.
8. Be sent to prison, as in He went down for a five-year term. [Slang; c. 1900]
9. In the game of bridge, fail to fulfill one's contract (that is, take fewer than the required number of tricks), as in We had bid four hearts and the bad distribution made us go down. [Early 1900s] Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with go down.
make history
Do something memorable or spectacular enough to influence the course of history, as in That first space flight made history. [Mid-1800s]
repeat oneself
Express oneself in the same way or with the same words, as in Grandma forgets she has told us this story before and repeats herself over and over, or This architect tends to repeat himself-all his houses look alike. A well-known version of this idiom is the proverb History repeats itself, first recorded (in English) in 1561. For example, Her mother also married when she was 18-history repeats itself. [Mid-1800s]
go down
v.1. To proceed along some path: We went down the street.
2. To descend something: Let's go down the stairs rather than taking the elevator. Go down and see if they need any help in the kitchen. I went down to the cellar to fetch a bottle of wine.
3. go down to To reach or extend to some lower point: This path goes down to the bottom of the canyon. The thermometer goes down to -15 degrees.
4. To fall to the ground; plummet: The helicopter went down when the rotor malfunctioned. The boxer went down in the fourth round.
5. To sink: The ship went down in the storm, but the crew survived.
6. To travel south: I go down to the tropics every winter. I went down and visited my family in Mexico.
7. To go to a city or town center, or some central location: We went down to the park to meet our friends. My friend got arrested, so I went down and bailed him out.
8. To drop toward or below the horizon; set. Used especially of the sun and moon: The crickets began to chirp after the sun went down.
9. To experience defeat or ruin: The company went down after the stock market crashed.
10. To fail to operate; break down: The computers went down due to a software problem.
11. To permit swallowing: This cough syrup goes down readily.
12. To diminish in intensity or volume: The lights went down and the movie began. Put some ice on your injured elbow to help the swelling go down. When they returned to their car, they saw that the tires had gone down.
13. To decrease in value: Bond prices often go up as stocks go down. Last night, the temperature went down to 10 degrees.
14. To occur; happen. Used especially of interesting or important events: When the police officers saw the limousines arrive at the mobster's hideout, they knew something big was going down.
15. To be accepted or tolerated: My announcement that the show would be canceled did not go down well with the audience.
16. To come to be remembered in posterity: This remarkable debate will go down as a turning point in the campaign. The day we signed the treaty will go down in history.
17. Vulgar Slang go down on To perform oral sex on someone.
ancient history
n. someone or something completely forgotten, especially past romances. (see also
history.)
That business about joining the army is ancient history. go down
1. in. to happen; [for a process or sequence] to unfold. Something strange is going down around here.
2. in. to be accepted. (see also
swallow.)
We’ll just have to wait a while to see how all this goes down. 3. in. to be arrested. (Underworld.) Mr. Gutman said that somebody had to go down for it, and he didn’t care who.
history
n. someone or something in the past. (see also
ancient history,
I’m history.)
Don’t make a move! If this gun goes off, you’re history. I’m history
sent. Good-bye, I am leaving. (see also
history.)
I’m history. See you tomorrow. make history
To do something memorable or spectacular enough to influence the course of history: The first space flight made history.