Not only do those reverse concepts appear side by side, but they also flip their positions, so that âup downâ becomes âdown up.â Then, with the introduction of the answer, the words âupâ and âdownâ undergo yet another change, shifting meaning completely. For an umbrella, âupâ or âdownâ is a state of being. An umbrella is up or down, meaning âopenâ or âshut.â Yet it also can be moved up and down, as in up or down a chimney.
contempt noun [ U ] (NOT OBEYING) âº specialized also contempt of court law behaviour that is illegal because it does not obey or respect the rules of a law court: The tobacco companies may be guilty of contempt of court for refusing to produce the documents. (Definition of âcontemptâ from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus Â© Cambridge University Press)
disdain is a feeling that a person or thing is beneath one's dignity and unworthy of one's notice, respect, or concern: a disdain for crooked dealing . scorn denotes open or undisguised contempt often combined with derision: He showed only scorn for those who were not as ambitious as himself.