topsy-turvy

English

Pronunciation

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Etymology

Earlier topside-turvey, topsy-tervy; probably for top so turvy; that is, the top as turvy, as it were turvy, where turvy probably means "overturned", from Anglo-Saxon torfian to throw.

Adjective

topsy-turvy (comparative topsy-turvier, superlative topsy-turviest)

1. Backwards or upside-down; disorderly; chaotic.

Translations

backwards or upside down

• Dutch: ondersteboven (nl), achterstevoren (nl)
• Finnish: takaperoinen (fi), nurinkurinen (fi)

• Scottish Gaelic: turrach-air-tharrach (gd)
• Tamil: மேலும் கீழும் (ta)

disorderly, chaotic

• Dutch: wanordelijk (nl), chaotisch (nl)
• Finnish: sotkuinen (fi), sekava (fi)

• Scottish Gaelic: rù-rà (gd)

Adverb

topsy-turvy (comparative more topsy-turvy, superlative most topsy-turvy)

1. Backwards or upside-down; disorderly; chaotically.

Translations

backwards or upside down

• Finnish: nurin perin (fi), takaperin (fi), ylösalaisin (fi), nurin niskoin (fi)
• Italian: bilo-balo (it), sotto-sopra (it)

• Russian: (upside-down) вверх дном (ru) (vverx dnóm)
• Scottish Gaelic: bun-os-cionn (gd)

disorderly, chaotically

• Finnish: mullin mallin (fi), hujan hajan (fi), sikin sokin (fi), sekaisin (fi)
• Russian: шиворот-навыворот (ru) (šívorot-navývorot), кувырком (ru) (kuvyrkóm)