Come down a notch - definition?

Question

Hi there,

anyone knows the meaning of the expression "come down a notch"?

I would be most grateful!

Answer 1

"Down a notch" means "down a little bit". E.g. The price came down a notch.

Answer 2

It means that whoever is saying it may not understand what you are saying at the level of high argumentation or expression, sophistication, or complexity.

To illustrate with a gross example (taken from a comic strip, "Beetle Bailey," I read some time ago): The general in a military organization sends out a directive: "Metallurgical reports sustain the position that use of plumbinous material is contraindicated for aquifer construction."

When he receives this order, Private Beetle Bailey looks puzzled and asks his sergeant what the general means.

The sergeant replies, "Don't use lead on the water supply line. It eats the h**l out of pipes."

The sergeant has come down a notch.

A big notch. The phrase implies, but sometimes does not mean, a subtle grade lower than that.

Answer 3

It means - came down a level. "Notch" is like the indicative markings you might find on a water bottle, a container, etc Or it could also mean a price range. Like you say, the recent oil prices have come down a notch - not much, just a little, but still, it did come down.

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