Re: OT: Possible French idiom?

Trebor Jung wrote:
>"Another question: Why in English do we say 'Slow down!' and 'Hurry
up!'? Why not 'Slow up!' and 'Hurry down!'? Or is this just how idioms
work - they make no sense - or is there some (historical?) reason for
using 'up' with one verb and 'down' with another?"

I respond:
We do too say 'Slow up' and 'Hurry down" -- but the meanings are
different!  "Down" seems to carry a sense of terminality, which is
lacking in "up."  If I slow you up, that effect is likely to only be
temporary, but if I slow you down, you aren't likely to speed up again.
And you hurry down to a destination, but you don't hurry up to one.

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