over the top

WOTD - 2 June 2009    

English

Alternative forms

• over-the-top

Adjective

over the top (comparative more over the top, superlative most over the top)

1. (idiomatic) Bold; beyond normal, expected, or reasonable limits; excessive; outrageous.

   He has always had an independent style, but don't you think purple spiky hair is a bit over the top?

   • 2007, Bruce Jenkins, "The Chronicle Sports Columnist Blog," San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Aug,

     Myers went over the top in the clubhouse, berating a reporter who questioned Myers' terminology.

Usage notes

• Over the top occurs only following a copula as the object of a sentence, as above, whereas
• Over-the-top is used where the adjective occurs before the word it modifies, as

  He gave an over-the-top performance.

Synonyms

• (bold, excessive, outrageous): exaggerated, OTT

Translations

beyond normal, expected, or reasonable limits; excessive; exaggerated

Czech: přehnaný (cs) German: übertrieben (de), zu viel des Guten (de) Macedonian: претеран (mk) (préteran) m.

Portuguese: acima do limite (normal) (pt), excessivo (pt), em excesso (pt), exagerado (pt) Spanish: subido de tono (es) m. Turkish: aşırı (tr), fazladan (tr), haddinden fazla (tr)

Adverb

over the top (comparative more over the top, superlative most over the top)

1. (from World War One) Over the parapet of a trench, especially at the start of a futile attack.

   The men were sent over the top to their certain death.

References

• "over the top" in the Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
• Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.