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Down in the dumps

Posted by ESC on October 07, 2003

In Reply to: Down in the dumps posted by Sax on October 06, 2003

: Hi! I think I know whaat this means, but where did it come from? Thank you,
: Sax

DOWN IN THE DUMPS - "Someone down in the dumps may momentarily feel ready to be hauled off to the garbage dump, but the 'dumps' in the expression derives from the Dutch 'domp,' 'mental haze or dullness,' or from the German 'dumpf,' 'close, heavy, oppressive, gloomy.'." From Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997). Another reference says: " 'Dump' is thought to be derived from the Dutch word 'domp' (meaning 'haze' or 'dullness'). During the Elizabethan period a 'dump' was also any kind of a slow, mournful song or dance.even in Shakespeare's time, 'in the dumps' meant 'out of spirits.'" Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollins, New York, 1977, 1988).

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