Upstate/downstate

[Stahlke, Herbert F.W.]

Another use of down that has always struck me as uniquely local is Maine's "down east", NE in direction but downstream by ocean current.

Herb

        New Jersey is a north-south state yet, like California, it is considered to
        consist of "North Jersey" and "South Jersey", perhaps for the same reason as in
        California.  There are two major metropolitan areas, Camden/other
        Philadelphia suburban, and New York City suburban, neither of which dominate the rest of
        the Garden State the way New York City does the Empire State.  Hence neither
        region can call itself "downstate" and the rest "upstate."

        An interesting piece of nomenclature:  Absecon Island is a long, thin,
        north-south barrier island.  From north to south Absecon Island is divided into
        Atlantic City, Ventnor, Margate, and Longport.  The southern portion of the
        island, or at least Margate, is called "Downbeach".  There does not seem to be a
        corresponding "Upbeach" in Atlantic City.

        I was recently reading about the decypherment of the German Enigma machines
        in World War II, and found something interesting.  The decypherment was done at
        Bletchley Park, which I believe is north of London.  Yet apparently someone
        in Bletchley would think of going "up" to London and "down" to return to
        Bletchley.  Can one of our British correspondents check this out, please?

        One of Reverend Spooner's famous sayings was "You have hissed my mystery
        lectures.  You have tasted an entire worm.  You will leave on the next town
        drain."  What is a "down train"?  Is there a corresponding "up train"?

             - James A. Landau