downbeat

The desolation of Kristofferson's downbeat delivery tells you this song is about much more than a bad hangover.

From the first downbeat to the last, audience members danced and bobbed their heads, bearing a resemblance to the nearby ocean.

The last days of the San Francisco Nordstrom, known for its shoes and its service, were downbeat.

Polls suggest a majority of Americans have already spent much of the last few years believing the economy is in recession - a downbeat assessment at odds with the country's 2.5% growth last year.

Privately - and in some cases publicly - senior Scottish government figures are very downbeat.