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ghostofurmemories
13 Jun 2023
- Simplified Chinese (China)
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What does "falling upwards" mean?
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jrpear
13 Jun 2023
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- English (US)
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"falling upwards" is a contradictory phrase. Gravity pulls downwards, after all. It might be used in a playful science fiction book, where gravity pulls in the wrong direction. I have a feeling that it might have been used "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," for example.
Someone might use it as a part of a larger metaphor about two things that seem impossible together actually being possible. I couldn't say for certain how to interpret it without context.
There is a related phrase, "failing upwards," kind of a play on "falling upwards," that refers to someone who keeps advancing in his career despite consistent failure. Usually it's because he is extremely overconfident and impresses people who don't know better, or because he has a rich father who owns the company, or something like that.
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