hand-me-down
Used for clothes, toys, or other items passed down from an older sibling or relative. The honorific お is part of the word.
姉のお下がりの服を着る。
I wear my older sister's hand-me-down clothes.
Refers to food offered to Shinto or Buddhist deities, often later consumed by worshippers. The term is somewhat specialized and may be encountered in religious contexts.
神社でお下がりをいただく。
I receive a food offering at the shrine.
Used for leftover food, often from a meal or offering. Less common than the hand-me-down sense; 残り物 is more typical for general leftovers.
お下がりのお菓子を食べる。
I eat the leftover sweets.
trip from Kyoto to the provinces
Historical term for a journey from Kyoto to the provinces, often associated with imperial or noble travel. Rare in modern usage.
昔、貴族のお下がりは大行列だった。
In the old days, a noble's trip from Kyoto to the provinces was a grand procession.
お下がり is the polite, commonly used form for hand-me-downs and offerings, while plain 下がり is rarely used alone to mean this.
Derived from the verb 下がる (さがる, 'to go down, to be passed down') with the honorific prefix お. The hand-me-down sense comes from the idea of something being passed down from a higher to a lower person. The offering sense relates to food being lowered from the altar. The trip sense is from the historical movement from the capital (Kyoto) to the provinces, considered a descent in status.