downer
nounEtymology Perhaps related to tanner (“sixpence”).
downer
nounUK /ˈdaʊnə/ · US /ˈdaʊnɚ/
Etymology From down + -er.
1
Slang A negative drug trip.
- Normally those pills give me a boost, but last night they gave me a downer.
2
Slang Any drug that has depressant qualities.
- Eye Girl is very moody. She is always zooted up on some really foul combination of uppers and downers and Rollerblading. Her bouts of Rollerblading seem to coincide with fights with Eye Guy.1997, Maggie Estep, Diary of an Emotional Idiot: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Harmony Books, →ISBN, page 6:
- Say, for example, a person starts with the use of a downer that reduces any anxiety and produces a sense of relaxation. When their energy levels drop, they take a stimulant in order to continue participating in the party or another event. This creates a cycle that could lead to significant drug use and drastically increases the risk of overdose or death. It is critical to know which drugs are uppers and downers to avoid this combination.2024 April 10 [2020 August 27], Nick B., “Which Drugs Are Uppers And Downers?”, in The Freedom Center, archived from the original on 21 Feb 2025:
3
Slang Something or someone disagreeable, dispiriting or depressing; a killjoy.
- You don't really need to know me. I'm kind of a downer.2009, Spike Jonze, Where the Wild Things Are:
- Geffen had never understood why such a downer of a film was being released over the holidays.2010, Nicole LaPorte, The Men Who Would Be King:
4
A livestock animal that has collapsed.
- The ten-dollar bill was for eating money and the prod pole to be used when the train stopped for water in getting "downers" back on their feet.1964, John Hendrix, If I Can Do It Horseback: A Cow-Country Sketchbook, page 40:
- In 1993, Farm Sanctuary produced undercover footage of downers being lifted by forklift at Hallmark, prompting introduction of a California downer cattle law the next year. Either management provided instructions to get the downers moving or was asleep at the wheel and let employees run wild — in either case, it's an indictment of management.2009, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, Hallmark/Westland Meat Recall:
1 more example
- The two plants where I saw great reductions in downers have reduced, but not eliminated Paylean use.2009, Meat & Poultry - Volume 55, Issues 7-12, page lxxii:
5
A form of industrial action in which workers down tools and refuse to work.
- In the Workplace Industrial Relations Survey, a strike may be a downer or a stoppage as defined by the Department.1978, C. T. B. Smith, Great Britain. Dept. of Employment, Manpower Papers (issue 15, page 158)
- Cowley experienced a rash of 'downers' — short, sharp, unofficial strikes.1985, Alex Callinicos, Mike Simons, The Great Strike: The Miners' Strike of 1984-5 and Its Lessons:
- Synonyms
- buzzkill, killjoy, spoilsport
- Related terms
- Debbie Downer, Far-Downer, sit-downer