down (redirected from downs on luck)

Down, district (1991 pop. 57,050), 246 sq mi (637 sq km), SE Northern Ireland. The principal town is Downpatrick. The shoreline extends along the Irish Sea and is deeply indented by Strangford Lough. The undulating surface rises to the beautiful Mourne Mts. in the south. Chief rivers are the Lagan and the Bann. Agriculture is the most important activity, and the area is extensively cultivated (oats, barley, wheat, and hay). Market gardening is common in the north. Sheep and pigs are also raised. Manufactures include linen, cotton, rayon, clothing, agricultural machinery, and metals. The chief manufacturing towns are Downpatrick and Ballynahinch. Fishing is economically important; herring and whitefish constitute the main catch. Newcastle and Killyleagh are seaside resort towns.

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Down

District (pop., 1999 est.: 63,800), Northern Ireland. Formerly part of County Down, it was established as a district in 1973. It fronts Strangford Lough and the Irish Sea. Extreme southern and western Down is mountainous; the dome-shaped Mourne Mountains reach an elevation of 2,789 ft (850 m). Down is a rich agricultural district; livestock raising is important. Down was settled in prehistoric times. It was where St. Patrick began his mission in Ireland (AD 432), and his well and bathhouses are preserved near the district seat, Downpatrick. In Tudor times, parts of Down were colonized by English and Scottish adventurers.

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down

Refers to a computer that ceases to operate due to hardware or software failure. A communications line is down when it is unable to transfer data.

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down¹

1. of or relating to a train or trains from a more important place or one regarded as higher

2. (of a device, machine, etc., esp a computer) temporarily out of action

3. made in cash

4. American football one of a maximum of four consecutive attempts by one team to advance the ball a total of at least ten yards

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down²

1. the soft fine feathers with free barbs that cover the body of a bird and prevent loss of heat. In the adult they lie beneath and between the contour feathers

2. another name for eiderdown

3. Botany a fine coating of soft hairs, as on certain leaves, fruits, and seeds

4. any growth or coating of soft fine hair, such as that on the human face

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down

Archaic a hill, esp a sand dune

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Down

1. a district of SE Northern Ireland, in Co. Down. Pop.: 65 195 (2003 est.). Area: 649 sq. km (250 sq. miles)

2. a historical county of SE Northern Ireland, on the Irish Sea: generally hilly, rising to the Mountains of Mourne: in 1973 it was replaced for administrative purposes by the districts of Ards, Banbridge, Castlereagh, Down, Newry and Mourne, North Down, and part of Lisburn. Area: 2466 sq. km (952 sq. miles)

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down [dau̇n]

(engineering)

Not in operation.

(geology)

Hillock of sand thrown up along the coast by the sea or the wind.

A flat eminence on the top of a hill or mountain.

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1.		down - Not operating. "The up escalator is down" is considered a humorous thing to say, and "The elevator is down" always means "The elevator isn't working" and never refers to what floor the elevator is on. With respect to computers, this term has passed into the mainstream; the extension to other kinds of machine is still hackish.
2.		down - "go down" To stop functioning; usually said of the system. The message from the console that every hacker hates to hear from the operator is "System going down in 5 minutes".
3.		down - "take down", "bring down" To deactivate purposely, usually for repair work or PM. "I'm taking the system down to work on that bug in the tape drive." Occasionally one hears the word "down" by itself used as a verb in this sense. See crash; opposite: up.