Standing at the top of the escalator at the Ikea in South Florida where we were helping our son and daughter-in-law transport a new couch, the following conversation occurred between me and my youngest son, age nine, which left me without an answer. He’s good at that.
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“Why is it called an escalator?”
“Because the word ‘escalate’ means to raise or make higher. So, an escalator is used to raise people up.”
“What do they call it when it goes down?”