get down and do sth

[AlexAD]

Hello.

I have this sentence, 'But as usual, I was running against the clock, trying to get down and catch the train on time'.
I have looked for the meanings of the phrase across different dictionaries but didn't get an answer.
Could you please make it plain for me.

Thanks, Alex.

 

[BrunaBC]

Hi Alex,

This is a very common expression. Take a look at the OALD definition: [h=4]get down to something[/h]

to begin to do something; to give serious attention to something.​

 

[5jj]

Take a look at the OALD definition: get down to something

'Get down and ...' is a different expression from 'get down to ...", Bruna.

I don't know what is meant there, Alex; it sounds starnge to me.

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

'Get down and ...' is a different expression from 'get down to ...", Bruna.

I don't know what is meant there, Alex; it sounds starnge to me.

Maybe it means this?

get down 1. Sl. to lay one’s money on the table. (Gambling.)
Okay, everybody get down. Get down, and let’s
get going! 2. Sl. to concentrate; to do something well.
I’m flunking two subjects, man. I gotta get down. Come
on, Sam, pay attention. Get down and learn this stuff. 3. Sl.
to copulate. Hey, let’s get down! All Steve wants to do
is get down all the time.

Source: MCGraw-Hill's Osborne Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

It's really hard to tell. The context isn't very specific.

 

[SoothingDave]

Maybe he lives in a tall apartment building and waiting for the elevator can add some time to his trip.

Maybe the train station is in an area of the town that he considers a "down" travel from where he is. So he has to "go down" to the station to catch the train.

Consider that people go "down town" enough that city centers are called "downtown." Even if the city center is geographically elevated compared to the surroundings. It's an expression.

 

[emsr2d2]

Maybe they just meant "get down [to the train station] and catch the train". I know a lot of people who say things like "Last night I got down the pub and found loads of my friends there" or "If I get up to London this weekend, I'll go and visit my cousin".

 

[AlexAD]

Thanks very much for your answers.
It seems to me that the ScoothingDave's and emsr2ds's answers are most suitable, in the sense of going down.
So if it was said 'go down and catch the train ...' that would make sense, right?
Does 'go down' mean 'go south"? Or can we say 'go down' even if we go north?

 

[SoothingDave]

It's not related to compass directions. If anything, it has to do with topography.

In most cases someone telling you "go up the street and make the second left" and "go down the street and make the second left" are telling you the same thing.

Now, of course, if the street went up a hill, it would not be normal to say "go down" the street.

 

[AlexAD]

The first thought visited me after reading the last Dave's post was "It must be that people who say 'go up' are optimists while ones saying 'go down' are pessimists" :-D

 

[emsr2d2]

For longer distances, I follow the compass point theory. I live on the South coast of England so to me, unless I'm going east or west, everything is "up". I go up to London, up to Gatwick Airport, up to Scotland, up to Manchester etc etc. If I go east, it's in an almost straight line along the coast, so I go along to Dover. If I go west as far as probably Southampton, I would go along - along to Portsmouth, along to Southampton. Any further than that (into the counties of Dorset, Devon or Cornwall) then not only is it further but (in my head!) the coastline starts to slope downwards so I go down to Devon, go down to Cornwall etc.

My flatmate is originally from the Midlands (around Birmingham). When he lived there, he would go down to London but up to Scotland.

 

[SoothingDave]

For longer distances, I follow the compass point theory. I live on the South coast of England so to me, unless I'm going east or west, everything is "up". I go up to London, up to Gatwick Airport, up to Scotland, up to Manchester etc etc. If I go east, it's in an almost straight line along the coast, so I go along to Dover. If I go west as far as probably Southampton, I would go along - along to Portsmouth, along to Southampton. Any further than that (into the counties of Dorset, Devon or Cornwall) then not only is it further but (in my head!) the coastline starts to slope downwards so I go down to Devon, go down to Cornwall etc.

My flatmate is originally from the Midlands (around Birmingham). When he lived there, he would go down to London but up to Scotland.

Yes, for longer distances, I agree. I was speaking more about just around town.

 

[emsr2d2]

Around town, I have a very random selection of directional phrases. I go up to the railway station (even though it's not uphill from me) and down to the seafront/beach and down town (they're very slightly downhill but not enough to be relevant.

I guess everyone says "down to the seafront/beach" as no-one lives downhill from the sea. They'd be very wet!

 

[5jj]

Back to this question:

It seems to me that the ScoothingDave's and emsr2ds's answers are most suitable, in the sense of going down.
So if it was said 'go down and catch the train ...' that would make sense, right?

It would make sense if the person you were speaking to knew what you meant by it. It does not make sense without explicit or implicit context.

 

[charliedeut]

I guess everyone says "down to the seafront/beach" as no-one lives downhill from the sea. They'd be very wet!

Except maybe some people in The Netherlands, where I believe there are inhabited places actually under sea-level ;-)(should check it thoroughly, however; this might be just one of those urban legends)

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


1. I agree with Bruna. Maybe he means: I was running against the clock, trying to get down [to business] and catch

the train on time." (Get down to business = to seriously start the work)

2. The main reason I responded, though, was to respectfully suggest that if you visit the United States, you should

be very careful before you use the words "get down." Among some young people, "get down" has many meanings,

including some that I cannot repeat on a family friendly website such as UsingEnglish.com. Even "get down to business"

has some embarrassing meanings!

*****

I am writing this under the five stars so that a moderator can easily leave intact my post even if s/he decides to delete the following information: the more "interesting" definitions of "get down" can be found on the website called Urban Dictionary.