Head down, a** up?

[Thisisthelaststraw]

Dh and I have been having a conversation with dd about studying for exams. She has not been applying herself so I was saying she needs to put down the phone and get working hard if she wants to see results. I used the phrase “head down, a** up” meaning get working hard and forget all distractions. I’ve heard it many times in my 40 years and that’s what it’s always meant.

When dd left the room dh said “you need to stop saying that”. I asked why and he informs me they’re the lyrics to a song with sexual meaning. I looked it up and it is.

I feel weird now as dd is 18 and probably knows this song and though I’m pretty sure she knows that’s not what I’m talking about it’s just left me feeling bothered.

AIBU to think this was actually a phrase that means exactly what I think long before it became a song with another meaning?

Well I’m in my 50’s and have been hearing and saying that phrase for 50 odd years. Some people say bum, some say arse but it means the same thing - concentrate and get get your work done! Never heard of the song you refer to so that doesn’t influence me and I doubt my young adult and teenage kids have ever heard it either as surely they would have made some remark or I weird face as I do say it quite frequently.

Well....looks like Op isn't wrong but it's a horrible saying. Reminds me of that awful one "Tear him a new one" and "Pull your finger out"

Gross.

I thought it referred to hard work picking in field.

I have only ever head "Head Down, Bum Up" to mean working hard.

Well....looks like Op isn't wrong but it's a horrible saying. Reminds me of that awful one "Tear him a new one" and "Pull your finger out" Gross.

Surely that's only if you think of it as being sexual but I'm sure it isn't, judging by the very polite elderly ladies who would use that expression where I live. Think of a puppy digging, or birds or bees foraging, instead and it's much nicer.

We use "head down, bum up" a lot in Australia for concentrate.

Yep, ‘Head down, arse up’ means ‘work hard’ to me, too. Never heard of the song.

Yes OP - head down bum up means to get settled down and work hard. I just found refences for it online and I grew up with it too. So it’s a thing.

From antipodes too ^*

The song is actually "face down ass up....." but even so that's what I thought of when you said what you said!!!

Means get working to me. Never heard the song.

Heads down bums up means hard work in Australia. Nothing sexual about it and if it was then there are hundreds of sexually inappropriate teachers.

Anything can be sexual if you want it to be. It's all in the context.....for example, I want to slide a hot dog into a warm buttered bread roll.
Totally ick when you say it slowly.

As per pp, 'heads down, tails up' - like ducks - is something I'm familiar with to mean work hard/focus on work/concentrate.

Typing 'heads down' into Google generated "heads down bum up" as an autofill - seems to be more common in the southern hemisphere maybe?

Some results from that search suggestion:

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/head_down,_bum_up

www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=heads%20down%20bum%20up

scottmiddleton.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/head-down-bum-up/

www.marketingeye.com.au/marketing-blog/small-business-marketing/head-down-bum-up-the-only-way-to-succeed.html

I'm a bit younger than you and have never heard of that song either.

Head down, bum up definitely means hard work in Australia.

Yep I used to get told this all the time by my parents . Am Australian.

As others have said, you're right. It is a pretty old saying, probably based on duck dabbling.

Tell your DH that he has a dirty mind!

The only way head down, arse up could be a work context is if you were saying it to a jockey.

Yanbu - it’s a common expression to mean getting on with the task at hand with no distractions. People round here use it anyway. Head down, arse up.

P.s I’ve never known it to have a sexual connotation.

Head down, bum up definitely means hard work in Australia.

This ^^ I've only ever heard it in relation to hard work, never to anything sexual.

I think one of my old teachers used to say ''heads up, arses down'' ... in other words sit down and pay attention to me.

Have you been hearing that phrase and got it a bit mixed up?

Your version is definitely just a sex reference!

Urban dictionary is with you OP, except it says bum not arse www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.urbandictionary.com/define.php%3fterm=heads%2bdown%2bbum%2bup&amp=true

You’ve all got minds in the gutter. It’s common across mine and DHs families to mean hard work (Irish/Yorkshire).

I took it to mean like a duck searching for food in a lake. Maybe we were unduly influenced by Wind in the Willows.

Yeah I'd think song too. Ive heard 'get your head down' to revise but not arse up with it.

Seeing the animal pictures it makes more sense but still the song is predominant, and i only heard it once!

Head down and bum up is the expression for work hard. Face down and arse up is sexual.

Given that it is a sexual song too and can imply doggy style, i would avoid using it with dd and especially not if her friends are there. That could be embarrassing for her