Down in the dumps

Origin of: Down in the dumps

Down in the dumps

To be down in the dumps is to be unhappy, sad or depressed. The dumps has been an expression for melancholy or sadness since the early 16th century. It was well known to Shakespeare, who used it in four of his plays and in his epic poem The Rape of Lucrece. Perhaps the best Shakespearian example is from Romeo and Juliet, Act IV, Scene V, “When griping grief the heart doth wound, and doleful dumps the mind oppress.” The actual phrase down in the dumps is first recorded from the late 18th century.