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For example

  • "1 in 20 Americans suffer from..." and "1 out of 20 Americans suffer from..."
  • "it is down to you" and "it is up to you"

They seem like great ways to add to creative writing. Are there any other examples of such phrases?

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It is down to you and It is up to you don't mean the same thing at all. Down to you means all other have been eliminated leaving only you. Up to you means the decision is yours (regardless of how that was achieved). – Jim Jul 31 '12 at 6:14
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You've got two chances of having this question survive on EL&U: fat and slim. – Jim Jul 31 '12 at 6:43
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@Jim: He could(n't) care less. – David Schwartz Jul 31 '12 at 7:05
See this. It was the hottest question on stackexchange for a while, too – asymptotically Jul 31 '12 at 7:27
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@John - Jim probably feels, as I do too, that the question is open-ended and has no definitive single answer. – Ste Jul 31 '12 at 9:50
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1 Answer

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Slow up and slow down. I prefer slow down as an opposite to speed up. After all, speed down would be nonsensical!

There are a few single words with contradictory meanings e.g. He cleaved each block of wood in two with a mighty blow and The student should cleave to the master.

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