Concetti Chiave
- "Come down" can mean physically moving downward, such as descending a ladder safely.
- The phrase can also imply traveling south or to a less important location.
- To "come down on" someone means to express displeasure or reprimand them.
- "Come down to" refers to the essential part of a situation, similar to "boil down to" or "cook down to."
- These phrasal verbs underscore the central idea or main point of a discussion.
Come down
Literally, if you come down, you are physically moving in a downward manner.
Ex: When you're finished, make sure you come down the ladder carefully so you don't fall and break your leg.
Another meaning for come down is travel to the south, or to somewhere less important.
Ex: We just heard from Uncle Johnny, who lives up near the Scottish border, and he said he's going to be coming down to this area next month. I can't wait to see him!
You can say that a person is coming down on you if that person expresses displeasure with you.
Ex: The principal really came down on me after I missed school for the tenth time this month. I begged him to be merciful, but he suspended me for a week.
When you want to talk about the most essential part of a situation, you can say that it comes down to it.
Ex: When it comes down to it, the one thing all photographers need if they want to succeed is a good eye.
If you boil or cook a liquid, the water boils away and the solid parts will be left in the pot. A similar phrasal verb to come down to is boil down to or cook down to, which both refer to the central idea or the main point of something. These three phrasal verbs are synonyms.
Ex: My mother always told me that if you want to succeed, it all boils down to pride. If you like yourself, then others will, too.
Ex: After I had looked at all the information I had to think about it for a while, but eventually I was able to cook it down into a single theory.
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