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There are many threads (I've listed a few below, under "Related") discussing the difference -- or lack thereof -- between the slangs "being down for something" or "up for smth". There seems to be no uniformity in regard to them and I just wanted to ask the community if that's true and it can vary wildly from place to place.

In Ontario, I never hear people saying "Are you up for some pizza?", almost invariably it's "Are you down for some pizza? (I'm so down!)". But from what I read on the internet, this seems not to be the case for most people.

A few of the answers say that "down for" would be more "serious" or committed, but from my experience it makes no difference.

So question: where you live, is there any difference between saying "would you be down for X" or "would you be up for some X"? (E.g, is one more usual than the other?)

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I'm not sure what "smth" is, but I'm assuming you mean "something."

I would say 10-20 years ago, you were always "up" for something. Today, it's just as common to be "down" for something. There really is no difference in meaning, and I can't think of any guidelines for when you might favor one over the other. During a conversation, I would listen to what other people say and make my decision based on that.

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  • Yes, it's "something":) but I think the correct abbreviation would be "sth" instead of "smth" ell.stackexchange.com/questions/218237/up-down-for-something thank you for your input! And sorry, but where are you located more or less? I wanted to know if there are any commonalities according to location
    – flen
    Commented Aug 27, 2022 at 3:34
  • I'm in Kentucky
    – swmcdonnell
    Commented Aug 27, 2022 at 18:54
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Down has meanings (among many others), (Source Oxford Eglish Dictionaty, via google search)

adverb: 4.

in or into writing.

adjective: 4. informal•US

supporting or going along with someone or something.

the adverb definition suggests some level of commitment, and so adds a connotation of commitment to the to the adjective

Up (OED again)

adverb

  1. into a happy mood
  2. out of bed

adjective

  1. in a cheerful mood; ebullient.

so the connotation here is more agreement than commitment.

That covers "down for", "down with" is different again, implying some sort of alliance between the participants.

Now in informal usage there can be questions over the exact meaning. if you are worried about being misunderstood use more words.

A: "Are you up for pizza"

B: "yes"

A: "Ultra Pizza will do a mega Chicago style for $6 you down with paying half?"

B: "yes"

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  • Thanks! So you're saying that in your corner of the world "down for" would mean "I'm committed to this/supporting this" whereas "up for" would mean you'd really like to get some pizza? It's just that in my corner "down for" usually means "I'm really in the mood for it", but maybe it's an extension of the "I'm committed to this" reasoning. I.e., to be clear: where I am, people would say instead "A: Are you down for pizza?"
    – flen
    Commented Aug 27, 2022 at 4:14

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