Topsy-turvy
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Upside down, inverted or in a state of thorough confusion where the normal order has been disrupted. May describe literal inversion or figurative disorder. The form is normally hyphenated, and its playful sound makes it less formal than inverted or chaotic. Regional use: Early-sixteenth-century English; now international English.
Origin
Topsy-turvy is first recorded in 1528 and was probably already familiar in speech. Its first element is connected with top or tops, while the second may preserve an obsolete verb variously written terve or tirve, meaning to overturn; however, the complete formation remains uncertain. Physical inversion and figurative disorder both occur early enough that neither should be assumed to be a recent reinterpretation. Attractive explanations involving turf or turned turves lack firm evidence and are best treated as folklore rather than etymology.
Research Sources
Variants
- Turn topsy-turvy
Usage Examples
- The sudden resignation turned the council's carefully arranged timetable topsy-turvy.
- A burst pipe left the basement office completely topsy-turvy.
- She held the map topsy-turvy and walked confidently in the wrong direction.