The machine is up/down is an instantiation of a Metaphor Theme.

English speakers (like all humans) are oriented vertically with respect to a gravitational field,
so the UP/DOWN dimension is significant, and English uses it in a variety of metaphor themes.

These themes include:

• UP is MORE (DOWN is LESS):
  The prices are rising/falling.
  The stock market’s moving up/crashing.
  Turn the volume up/down.

• UP is HAPPY (DOWN is SAD):
  He’s depressed.
  feeling up/down
  What a downer!

• UP is POWERFUL (DOWN is WEAK):
  upper/lower classes
  superior/subordinate
  the highest levels

• UP is ACTIVE (DOWN is PASSIVE):
  The computer is up/down.
  Are you up for some handball?
  Rise to the occasion.

• UP is BETTER (DOWN is WORSE):
  higher/lower animals
  He fell down on the midterm.
  a rise/fall in performance
  aim high
  upwardly-mobile

• UP is ABSTRACT (DOWN is CONCRETE):
  He’s got his head in the clouds.
  He’s got his feet on the ground.
  Come back to earth.
  higher mathematics
  high-level cognitive functions
  low-level details
  new heights of abstraction
  down-to-earth solution

All of these themes are coherent; that is, we tend to think of them in the same ways
 (e.g, LESS, SAD, WEAK, PASSIVE, and WORSE are all negative evaluations, and vice versa.)

The machine is up/down is an instantiation of a Metaphor Theme.

English speakers (like all humans) are oriented vertically with respect to a gravitational field, so the UP/DOWN dimension is significant, and English uses it in a variety of metaphor themes.

These themes include:

• UP is MORE (DOWN is LESS):
  The prices are rising/falling.
  The stock market’s moving up/crashing.
  Turn the volume up/down.

• UP is HAPPY (DOWN is SAD):
  He’s depressed.
  feeling up/down
  What a downer!

• UP is POWERFUL (DOWN is WEAK):
  upper/lower classes
  superior/subordinate
  the highest levels

• UP is ACTIVE (DOWN is PASSIVE):
  The computer is up/down.
  Are you up for some handball?
  Rise to the occasion.

• UP is BETTER (DOWN is WORSE):
  higher/lower animals
  He fell down on the midterm.
  a rise/fall in performance
  aim high
  upwardly-mobile

• UP is ABSTRACT (DOWN is CONCRETE):
  He’s got his head in the clouds.
  He’s got his feet on the ground.
  Come back to earth.
  higher mathematics
  high-level cognitive functions
  low-level details
  new heights of abstraction
  down-to-earth solution

All of these themes are coherent; that is, we tend to think of them in the same ways  (e.g, LESS, SAD, WEAK, PASSIVE, and WORSE are all negative evaluations, and vice versa.)

The machine is up/down is an instantiation of a Metaphor Theme.

English speakers (like all humans) are oriented vertically with respect to a gravitational field,
so the UP/DOWN dimension is significant, and English uses it in a variety of metaphor themes.

All of these themes are coherent; that is, we tend to think of them in the same ways
(e.g, LESS, SAD, WEAK, PASSIVE, and WORSE are all negative evaluations, and vice versa.)

These themes include:

• UP is MORE (DOWN is LESS):
  The prices are rising/falling.
  The stock market’s moving up/crashing.
  Turn the volume up/down.

• UP is HAPPY (DOWN is SAD):
  He’s depressed.
  feeling up/down
  What a downer!

• UP is POWERFUL (DOWN is WEAK):
  upper/lower classes
  superior/subordinate
  the highest levels

• UP is ACTIVE (DOWN is PASSIVE):
  The computer is up/down.
  Are you up for some handball?
  Rise to the occasion.

• UP is BETTER (DOWN is WORSE):
  higher/lower animals
  He fell down on the midterm.
  a rise/fall in performance
  aim high
  upwardly-mobile

• UP is ABSTRACT (DOWN is CONCRETE):
  He’s got his head in the clouds.
  He’s got his feet on the ground.
  Come back to earth.
  higher mathematics
  high-level cognitive functions
  low-level details
  new heights of abstraction
  down-to-earth solution

The machine is up/down is an instantiation of a Metaphor Theme.

English speakers (like all humans) are oriented vertically with respect to a gravitational field,
so the UP/DOWN dimension is significant, and English uses it in a variety of metaphor themes.

These themes include:

• UP is MORE (DOWN is LESS):
  The prices are rising/falling.
  The stock market’s moving up/crashing.
  Turn the volume up/down.

• UP is HAPPY (DOWN is SAD):
  He’s depressed.
  feeling up/down
  What a downer!

• UP is POWERFUL (DOWN is WEAK):
  upper/lower classes
  superior/subordinate
  the highest levels

• UP is ACTIVE (DOWN is PASSIVE):
  The computer is up/down.
  Are you up for some handball?
  Rise to the occasion.

• UP is BETTER (DOWN is WORSE):
  higher/lower animals
  He fell down on the midterm.
  a rise/fall in performance
  aim high
  upwardly-mobile

• UP is ABSTRACT (DOWN is CONCRETE):
  He’s got his head in the clouds.
  He’s got his feet on the ground.
  Come back to earth.
  higher mathematics
  high-level cognitive functions
  low-level details
  new heights of abstraction
  down-to-earth solution

All of these themes are coherent; that is, we tend to think of them in the same ways
(e.g, LESS, SAD, WEAK, PASSIVE, and WORSE are all negative evaluations, and vice versa.)