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Literary notes about Upend (AI summary)

The word "upend" in literature is employed with dual force, capturing both the notion of physically overturning an object and the metaphorical overturning of established orders. In one instance, it literally describes the act of flipping a chair and, elsewhere, the sudden reversal of a tree's natural order reveals hidden details [1] [2]. The term further extends to the realm of dramatic transformation, as when the impending collapse of justice during a cataclysmary event is forewarned [3] or when an unexpected burst of creativity and news dramatically flips a town's narrative [4]. It is also used to characterize forceful actions in contemporary settings, whether guiding a quarterback's decisive play [5] or indicating socio-cultural shifts that could fundamentally destabilize economic systems [6] [7].
  1. He turned a chair upend and placed it under the window.
    — from The Drums of Jeopardy by Harold MacGrath
  2. The log plunges after him, holding him down and back till he drowns; and his whereabouts are revealed by the upend of the tree.
    — from The Story of the Trapper by Agnes C. Laut
  3. It is safe, as we will never meet again, and all ideas of justice will upend in the coming cataclysm.
    — from The SequelWhat the Great War will mean to Australia by George A. (George Augustine) Taylor
  4. He might not write a line for a week and then he would saunter into the picture with a news sensation that would upend the town.
    — from Lanagan, Amateur Detective by Edward H. Hurlbut
  5. "You've got to hold 'em!" Grinnell's quarterback was kneeling, ready to upend the ball.
    — from Interference and Other Football Stories by Harold M. (Harold Morrow) Sherman
  6. Other socio-cultural challenges could upend the economy including a worsening HIV/Aids epidemic and chronic law and order and land tenure issues.
    — from The 2007 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
  7. Other socio-cultural challenges could upend the economy including a worsening HIV/AIDS epidemic and chronic law and order and land tenure issues.
    — from The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

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