upstairs and downstairs
Entire house vertically
Upstairs and downstairs refers to the two worlds within a large household—the family living in the upper floors and the servants working below.
The phrase evokes the rigid class divisions of British estates, popularized by period dramas: an upstairs and downstairs drama about Edwardian England.
It can describe any situation with a sharp hierarchy between those served and those serving.
- servantOne employed to serve
- basementSubterranean building level
- aristocracyRule by hereditary elite
- atticSpace beneath the roof
- contrastNotable difference between things
upper floors · butler · division · working-class · gentry · cellar · valet · maid · live-in help · nobility · hallway · landing · hierarchy · setting · mezzanine · elevator · loft · ascent
upstairs and downstairssingle-story
Having one floor
ranch-style · bungalow · ranch house · flat · rambler
stairs, stairway, stairways, staircase, staircases, stairwell, stairwells, downer, download