Does the expression ‘hand-me-up’ exist?
Believe it or not, it does. People who have older brothers or sisters will certainly know what ‘hand-me-downs’ are. They are usually clothes which the older child has outgrown, and which the parents give to the next in line. If the clothes are still in good condition, they get handed down to the unfortunate third child. Sometimes, a child grows up wearing hand-me-downs! A ‘hand-me-up’ is the opposite of ‘hand-me-down’. In this case, it is the younger generation which passes things on to the older generation: parents, grandparents, etc. Young people today are very fond of gadgets: computers, IPods, and cell phones are some of the things they must have. They cannot survive without them. Once a particular model becomes outdated, some people immediately go to the market and buy the latest version. What do the youngsters do with the old gadget? Many choose to hand it over to their less tech savvy parents or grandparents. This handing over of used gadgets to the older generation is called ‘hand-me-up’.
*I got this laptop from my daughter. It’s a hand-me-up.
SOURCE: THE HINDU
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