go up the street

[tulipflower]

In giving directions, what do 'go up the street' and 'go down the street' mean? Do they mean the same?
Are they used for steeped roads?

 

[emsr2d2]

In giving directions, what do 'go up the street' and 'go down the street' mean? Do they mean the same?
Are they used for [STRIKE]steeped[/STRIKE] steep roads?

They can be used to mean "uphill" and "downhill" but they're not always used that way. We sometimes use them just to mean "along". When I was growing up, I lived in a house in a completely flat street. Halfway along the street was a small shop. When leaving the house to go that shop, I used to say "I'm just going up the road to buy some sweets" and my mum used to say "I'm just going down the road to buy some beans". We were leaving the same house and heading for the same shop!

Note my correction above. "steeped" isn't an adjective; it's the past participle of the verb "steep".

 

[Yankee]

In giving directions, what do 'go up the street' and 'go down the street' mean? Do they mean the same?
Are they used for steeped roads?

Up the street/down the street can refer to the incline or grade level of a thoroughfare, but I have used it (AmE) to refer even to a flat level where the address increases/decreases.

 

[GoesStation]

There are some places where everyone would use up and down for the same directions. Manhattan Island is such a place; uptown is always north, in the direction of higher-numbered avenues. If I remember right, Santa Monica, California is another; you're going up Montana Avenue if you're heading from Seventh Street towards 26th.

 

[PeterCW]

In the absence of a local convention or an obvious incline I would use either.

 

[emsr2d2]

There some places where everyone would use up and down for the same directions. Manhattan Island is such a place; uptown is always north, in the direction of higher-numbered avenues. If I remember right, Santa Monica, California is another; you're going up Montana Avenue if you're heading from Seventh Street towards 26th.

That's far more common in the States where everyone seems to know which way north is! In the UK, most people couldn't tell you which direction they're facing/walking.

 

[PeterCW]

That's far more common in the States where everyone seems to know which way north is! In the UK, most people couldn't tell you which direction they're facing/walking.

Also in the UK London is always "up".

 

[Tdol]

Also in the UK London is always "up".

Though many resent this. ;-)

 

[GoesStation]

My wife's family occupies the high ground no matter where they are. They always go "down" from their current location wherever they may be headed. I'm pretty fastidious; when I'm talking about a significant distance, "up" is north and "down" is south.

 

[Tdol]

People in Sussex in the UK don't, as far as I know, don't go down.

 

[Tarheel]

Only up?

 

[emsr2d2]

Also in the UK London is always "up".

My friends in the Midlands always go down to London!

People in Sussex in the UK don't, as far as I know, don't go down.

Oh, they do! They go down to Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. And the Isle of Wight.

 

[Tarheel]

I've never been there, but now I know there's a lot of going up and down.
;-)

 

[tedmc]

I think it is always up north and down south, unless there is a difference in elevation.

 

[emsr2d2]

I think it is always up north and down south, unless there is a difference in elevation.

I'm not sure what you mean. Are you suggesting that "up" always indicates "north" and "down" always indicates "south"? If so, several native speakers have already said that's not the case.

If you meant that "up north" and "down south" are common collocations, you're right.

 

[SoothingDave]

That's far more common in the States where everyone seems to know which way north is! In the UK, most people couldn't tell you which direction they're facing/walking.

I found it odd in Ireland that roads were not marked north/south/east/west. Any directional signs to follow were only using the names of the towns along the way. Rather than knowing I was going north, I had to make a list of the places along the way to make sure I didn't get lost.

 

[emsr2d2]

As far as I'm aware, no roads in the UK or Ireland have directional markers on. I suppose some motorways do, but only when the sliproad towards a motorway can take you in two different directions. For example, if you're approaching the sliproad to the M23, you will see "M23 (N)" and "M23 (S)" listed, but they're also marked "Croydon" and "Brighton" (being the final destinations).