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I was wondering, when giving directions, is it correct to say "go straight" instead of "go down"? Does down and straight in the context of giving directions mean the same thing?

Araucaria - Him
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Keeto
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  • Why indeed? "Go that way, It's up here, Across this junction, etc.* It's all a matter of opinion and circumstance/context. Metaphoric spatial references are a standard feature of English, but this was one earlier ELU question on the matter. – FumbleFingers Mar 20 '15 at 00:55
  • They say these things because they mean to say "Go down this road" or "Go down this corridor." – Robusto Mar 20 '15 at 01:27
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    Because that's what people say. If you wish to say "go straight" then that's fine too. – Hot Licks Mar 20 '15 at 01:42
  • Imagine if they said, "Just go straight down this road..." – Jim Mar 20 '15 at 03:30
  • Go straight means don't take any turns onto other roads, and usually works best when the road you're on is pretty straight too. – Jim Mar 20 '15 at 03:31
  • Using down idiomatically in go down is a common trait in many languages. Therefore, this not a question just about the English language. It is about the propensity of humankind to say "go down". – Blessed Geek Mar 20 '15 at 06:59
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    'Down' is particularly used as 'towards the centre', as in 'downtown'. I guess this might have started because most old towns and cities were built beside, or on either side of, a river, so it really was down to the centre. – David Garner Mar 20 '15 at 10:43
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    The "why" part of the question hinges around two assumptions: 1) that the word "down" has an intrinsic meaning and 2) that it can have only one meaning at most. Neither assumption is true of any word in any language. In fact, no word in and of itself has any meaning at all. It means whatever people want it to mean. You have to use some word. And "down" is a word. As long as we all agree on it, everything's fine. If we all agreed to say "go cat" instead, then we'd use that one. If we all use "go orange", then that's what you get. – RegDwigнt Mar 20 '15 at 12:24
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    There's a straightforward grammatical answer to this question - and it is not opinion based!!! It is about the grammar of prepositions. THIS QUESTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CLOSED!! – Araucaria - Him Mar 23 '15 at 15:25
  • Nobody cares which one you prefer. Voting to reopen. – phenry Mar 24 '15 at 19:38

1 Answers1

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Go down the corridor

Does not actually imply going straight, it may mean navigating corners or bends, much like:

Follow the corridor.

If someone says:

Go straight...

They usually mean it literally, avoiding any turns or corners.

aaa90210
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