Green’s Dictionary of Slang

downy n.2

[SE lie/fall down]

1. (UK Und.) a faint, collapse.

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[UK]Swell’s Night Guide 76: The chanting cadger had tumbled to her situation [...] her legs trembled; he was on to her before Owen and had his stretchers round her tripe-box, and copped her rumbo, and stalled her from a downey.

2. a bed [underpinned by SE down mattress].

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[UK]Swell’s Night Guide 117/2: Dab, [...] doss, downey, bed.
[Aus]Bell’s Life in Sydney 19 Nov. 2/3: We sank into the downy.
[UK]Trollope Three Clerks (1869) 99: I’ve a deal to do before I get to my downy.
[UK]Illus. Sporting & Dramatic News 25 Dec. 7/2: [He] appears to find something humorous in habitually speaking of bed as ‘the downy,’ of wine as ‘the rosy,’ and so forth.
H. Nisbet Comrades of the Black Cross 154: Well, so long, my dear; there's your fancy bloke, Bruiser, looking thunder at us, and I don’t want the weight of his paw on my mug, so I'm off to my downy.
[Aus]E. Dyson Fact’ry ’Ands 118: Er pair iv boots was stickin’ out conspicuous et one end iv ther downy.
[US](con. 1900s) S. Lewis Elmer Gantry 100: Me to my little downy! G’night!

In phrases

do the downy (v.)

to lie in bed.

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[UK]W. Leman Rede Sixteen String Jack I vi: The family’s gone to downy nap this half-hour.— Why don’t the captain give the signal.
[UK]‘Cuthbert Bede’ Adventures of Mr Verdant Green (1982) II 198: And then, being well up, you see, it was no use doing the downy again.
Green Bay Press-Gaz. (WI) 9 Jan. A2/4: If your smasher of a bird catches you all mops and brooms [...] ‘Bufflehead,’ she may say, ’you should have done the downy.’ [...] It’s English. Not the king’s brand, but a cross-section of the mod mood in London .