The story
From up + -ies + and + down + -ies. The "uppies" and "downies" were the residents of the top (east) and bottom (west) of the town, which slopes down towards the sea.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
uppies and downies
Today it means: A traditional ball game played in Workington, West Cumbria, England, with the object of "hailing the ball" (throwing it up in the air three times) at the opposing team's goal. Full definition →