OK, so most people got that one correct. Don’t get it confused with ‘down in the dumps’.
STUCK IN A RUT means feeling bored or trapped in a repetitive routine, while DOWN IN THE DUMPS is about feeling sad or low emotionally. One’s about frustration with life’s lack of change, and the other is about a temporary low mood.
Etymology 🌳
STUCK IN A RUT
The phrase comes from the literal idea of a rut, which is a groove or track worn into the ground by wheels or repeated use. If a cart or vehicle got “stuck in a rut,” it would be hard to move forward without effort. This evolved metaphorically in the 18th century to describe people feeling trapped in repetitive or unchanging routines.
DOWN IN THE DUMPS
The origin of “dumps” as a term for sadness dates back to the 16th century. “Dumps” referred to a melancholic or gloomy state, possibly derived from the German word dampf (meaning mist or haze) or the Dutch domp (meaning haze or dullness). The phrase “down in the dumps” became popular in the 19th century to describe feeling emotionally low.
STUCK IN A RUT means feeling bored or trapped in a repetitive routine, while DOWN IN THE DUMPS is about feeling sad or low emotionally. One’s about frustration with life’s lack of change, and the other is about a temporary low mood.
Etymology 🌳
STUCK IN A RUT
The phrase comes from the literal idea of a rut, which is a groove or track worn into the ground by wheels or repeated use. If a cart or vehicle got “stuck in a rut,” it would be hard to move forward without effort. This evolved metaphorically in the 18th century to describe people feeling trapped in repetitive or unchanging routines.
DOWN IN THE DUMPS
The origin of “dumps” as a term for sadness dates back to the 16th century. “Dumps” referred to a melancholic or gloomy state, possibly derived from the German word dampf (meaning mist or haze) or the Dutch domp (meaning haze or dullness). The phrase “down in the dumps” became popular in the 19th century to describe feeling emotionally low.
