down payment

[learner]

From the interview with Anne Enright (BBC)


'You left a career in television to pursue writing - have you any advice for other budding novelists who want to make that leap?
I always say that you have to build a springboard. I had written a book of short stories before I left, so I had a toe-hold. I had somewhere to stand. I also had a down payment on a flat, so those were the two necessary things. '

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'I also had a down payment on a flat'

What does it mean - she had a down payment?

I've been thinking she'd just paid her down payment that let her to buy a flat, but in my native language version of BBC the phrase translated exactly as her payments for the flat were down.


So, what's the correct meaning?

Thank you

[Rusty]

From the interview with Anne Enright (BBC)


'You left a career in television to pursue writing - have you any advice for other budding novelists who want to make that leap?
I always say that you have to build a springboard. I had written a book of short stories before I left, so I had a toe-hold. I had somewhere to stand. I also had a down payment on a flat, so those were the two necessary things. '

================
'I also had a down payment on a flat'

What does it mean - she had a down payment?

I've been thinking she'd just paid her down payment that let her to buy a flat, but in my native language version of BBC the phrase translated exactly as her payments for the flat were down.


So, what's the correct meaning?

Thank you

A down payment is a partial payment made when a purchase is agreed upon. The remaining payment is made later, often in regular installments.

[learner]

Thank you, Rusty.