up-and-down

American  

[uhp-uhn-doun] / ˈʌp ənˈdaʊn /

adjective

1. moving alternately up and down.

   the up-and-down swing of levers; an up-and-down tune.

2. having an uneven surface.

   up-and-down countryside.

3. changeable.

   up-and-down luck.

4. perpendicular or nearly so.

   a straight up-and-down hillside.

---

up-and-down British  

adjective

1. moving, executed, or formed alternately upwards and downwards

2. very steep; vertical

---

adverb

1. backwards and forwards (along)

Other Word Forms

• up-and-downness noun

Etymology

Origin of up-and-down

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

McIlroy got up-and-down birdie from a bunker at 17 before he rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt from the fringe at the last.

From Barron's

And because their island wasn’t on the big map of the world, he’d drawn it on that, too, near the crossing of two lines—the one going around the world’s middle like a belt, and an up-and-down line curving with the shape of the earth.

From Literature

Xhaka, 33, helped the Gunners win the FA Cup twice and reach the Europa League final but had an up-and-down time in north London, including a major fallout with supporters and being stripped of the club captaincy.

From BBC

And even though he’s had an up-and-down first trip to the playoffs, the 23-year-old has also done enough to become the second youngest starting quarterback in Super Bowl history after the Miami Dolphins’ Dan Marino.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I want to be around for a long time — not just another teen up-and-down type of thing.”

From Los Angeles Times