On the latest show, a caller spoke of using the expression "it's all downhill from here" to indicate that she was about to graduate and all the hard work was behind her. She said that the person she was talking to found it odd because she thought of "downhill" as a negative thing.
I remembered an episode from The Monkees TV show nearly fifty years ago now in which the boys find work on a kids' show and get excited about what it means for their careers:
Micky: Man, we are on the road to suc-cess!
Mike: We're almost at the top of the heights!
Davy: We're nearly at the top of the heap!
Peter: It's all downhill from here!
The others all look funny at Peter, obviously holding the same opinion as your caller's friend. Peter, for those too young to remember the show, was always portrayed as a little dimwitted and spacey, so of course he got the line that suggests he didn't quite understand the metaphor.
For those reading at a later date, the show is "Bingo Fuel", and it's dated 13 July, 2015.
In an unrelated segment of that show, Martha commented on the origins of the word "nice". It's basically ne- meaning negation, plus sci- meaning knowing. If you were nice originally meant you were ignorant.
Is the French city of Nice filled with Luddites and Creationists?
Ron Draney said: On the latest show, a caller spoke of using the expression “it’s all downhill from here” to indicate that she was about to graduate and all the hard work was behind her. She said that the person she was talking to found it odd because she thought of “downhill” as a negative thing.
Seems perfectly natural to use it with either meaning. I know I do. Add that to the list of English words/expressions that are their own opposites, something that I recently learned is called a contronym. It's one of many things makes the language so difficult to learn, since many are colloquialisms. And even then, you almost always have to hear or read it in context to extract the real meaning.
I'm sure it happens in other languages too, but I'm not fluent enough to provide any examples.
While going downhill is speedy and fast with a bicycle, that's not necessarily true on foot. For one who is out of shape, going downhill has severe consequences, both as it is done and a day or more later. Climbing uses the same muscles as walking on the level, and is more easily tolerated.
And, of course, going downhill sometimes has consequences with a wheeled vehicle without brakes.
I have often commented, "Now that I am over-the-hill, I should be moving faster!"