Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1400-1500
Origin: up so down 'up as if down' (14-16 centuries)

upside down

1 adverb
     
upside down1
1 with the top at the bottom and the bottom at the top:
To get the plant out of the pot, turn it upside down and give it a gentle knock.
2

turn something upside down

a) to make a place very untidy when you are looking for something:
The burglars have turned our house upside down.
b) to cause a lot of change and confusion in a situation or in someone's life:
the story of a young girl whose life was turned upside down
3 disorganized or untidy
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
 
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