adv. (a., sb., and v.) Forms: α. 6 topsy tervy, tyrvy, turuie, turvy; 6– topsy-turvy, (8–9 -turvey). Also 6 topsituruie, -turuy, 7 -turvy, -turvie, topsi-turvi, top-si-turvy; 6 topsie turuie, -vie, -vey, 6–7 -turuy, 7 -turvie, -turvy; 7 topse-turvie. See also the inverted TURVY-TOPSY. (Now almost always hyphened; in early use more usually two words; sometimes (in every century) as one word.) β–ι; see below. [A kind of alliterative or assonant combination, known in print from 1528, but prob. in popular use from an earlier period. The early spelling was topsy-tervy or -tirvy, from c. 1540 written -turvy, -turvie. (Cf. the pronunciation of nerve, curve.) As to the actual components no external evidence has been found, and numerous conjectures and suggestions (many of them absurd and impossible) have been offered. Some of the more plausible of these, taking topsy as representing top-set or top-side, have been introduced (by those who favored them) into the spelling; but amid all these aberrations, the typical form, with mere spelling variants, as topsy, topsie, topsi-, and tervy, tirvy, turvy, turvie, has remained practically constant. It seems certain that the first element contains top (or tops) and probable that the second is related to terve or TIRVE v. to turn, turn over, overturn; but the -sy of the first and -y of the second still want explanation: the former is viewed by some as representing an earlier so, as in up-so-down, now upside-down, so becoming sy under the influence of turvy, the y of which is apparently as in hitty-missy, hurly-burly, arsy-versy. A suggestion that turvy was connected with turf or turve, and referred to the laying of cut turfs or turves face downward, to keep them fresh, is now discarded, as is the earlier notion that turvy might have been altered from t’other way.
(There is a certain parallelism between the series up-so-down, later upset-down, upside-down, and *top-so-tervy, topsy-tervy, topset-tervy, topside-tervy; but the former has not become upsy-down, nor has any trace of *top-so-tervy been yet found, so that the analogy is incomplete.)]
With the top where the bottom should be; in or into an inverted position; upside down, bottom upwards; also less definitely, In or into the position of being toppled over, overturned, overthrown, or upset; right over. (Most commonly qualifying the vb. turn, or used predicatively after be, lie, etc.)
1530. Palsgr., 843/1. Topsy tyrvy, ceu dessus dessoubz.
1555. Eden, Decades, 46. They say that … they see the houses turne topsy turuye, and men to walke with theyr heeles vpwarde.
1615. G. Sandys, Trav., III. 205. The huge wals and arches turned topsie turuey, and lying like rockes vpon the foundation.
1733. Caledonian Mercury, 2 Jan., 4/1. One of the Tidesmen fell Topsy-turvy down betwixt two Vessels; but in the way one of his Legs fastned in a Rope.
1747. Mrs. Delany, in Life & Corr. (1861), II. 450. As soon as I got into my chair, the chairmen fairly overturned it:… Lord Westmoreland … found me topsy turvy.
1847. Alb. Smith, Chr. Tadpole, ix. Wondering how the flies could walk topsy-turvy on the ceiling.
1848. Dickens, Dombey, vi. A chaos of carts, overthrown and jumbled together, lay topsy-turvy at the bottom of a … hill.
1871. R. Ellis, Catullus, xvii. 9. Catullus adjures thee Headlong into the mire below topsy-turvy to drown him.
1907. Verney Mem., I. 297. He writes topsy-turvy in sympathetic ink, between the lines of a letter ostensibly full of public news.
b. fig. With the higher where the lower should be; in or into a reversed condition; with inversion of the natural or proper order; less definitely, With things all in wrong places or positions; in or into utter confusion, dislocation, or disorder.
1528. Roy, Rede me (Arb.), 51. He tourneth all thynge topsy tervy.
c. 1540. trans. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden), I. 283. The death of Canutus didd noe lesse turne all thinges topsie-turvie in Denmarcke.
1579. Fulke, Heskins’ Parl., 215. This comparison is topsituruie.
a. 1623. Fletcher, Love’s Cure, II. ii. Custom hath turn’d Nature topsy-turvy in you.
1670. G. H., Hist. Cardinals, II. I. 128. Turning all Europe as it were top-si-turvy.
1713. Addison, Guard., No. 154, ¶ 2. I found nature turned topsy-turvey, women changed into men, and men into women.
1833. Ht. Martineau, Fr. Wines & Pol., viii. 125. How strangely the values of things are turned topsy-turvy!
1860. National Era, 2 Feb., 1/7. Such odd, topsy-turvy freaks of Nature meet one on every hand in this great unformed field of society called ‘the West.’
1866. R. M. Ballantyne, Shift. Winds, xxvii. A world of inconsistencies, where things are all topsy-turvy, so to speak.
¶ Also in various altered or corrupt forms, mostly indicating popular or conjectural etymologies: see above.
β. 6 topset tourvie, toruie, turvie, -tirvi.
1549. Chaloner, Erasm. on Folly, A iij. Bothe holy and vnholy thyngs be tourned topset touruie.
1553. Grimalde, Cicero’s Offices, I. (1558), 12. Who tourned topset toruie all the lawes of God.
1573. G. Harvey, Letter-bk. (Camden), 53. Thus within a few years al shuld be turnid topset tirvi.
γ. 6 top syd turuye, (topside turfway), 6–8 topside turvy, 6–9 -vey.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, II. (Arb.), 59. Top syd turuye be turned Al thee Princelye thrasholds.
c. 1586. C’tess Pembroke, Ps. LVIII. vii. With whirlwinds topside turfway blown.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., V. viii. 42. At last they have all overthrowne to ground Quite topside turvey.
1686. Goad, Celest. Bodies, III. iv. 479. Dreadful Tempest, turned several Villages … Topside-turvy.
1761. Sterne, Tr. Shandy, IV. xix. How was my system turned topside turvy!
1815. Mrs. Pilkington, Celebrity, III. i. 25. The world must be turned topside-turvey.
δ. 6 topside thother-way, 7 topside t’other way, 8 topside the other way.
1577. Holinshed, Chron., I. Descr. Irel., 14 b/1. The estate of that flourishing towne was tourned arsye versye, topside thother-way.
1654. H. L’Estrange, Chas. I. (1655), 75. Thus were all things strangely turned in a trice topside t’other way.
1768. Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1834), I. 456. His [Socrates’] words are to be turned topside the other way to understand them.
ε. 6 typsiturvy, typsy tyrvye, 8 tipsy-turvy.
1581. J. Bell, Haddon’s Answ. Osor., 324 b. The generall fraylty of nature will violently carry you away typsiturvy. Ibid., 569. Typsy tyrvye.
1766. [C. Anstey], Bath Guide, ii. 35. Their Systems … all turn’d tipsy-turvy [later edd. topsy-].
ζ. 7 tupsiturvie.
1640. Howell, Dodona’s Gr., 50. They would have turned up tupsiturvie the very kingdome of Satan.
η. 6 top turuye.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis (Arb.), 33. His launce staffe thee dust top turuye doth harrow.
θ. 7 topsiturnie, topsie turnie.
1617. Minsheu, Duct. Ling., Topsiturnie, the topside turned … Arsiuersie.
1655. in Clarendon Papers, No. 1753. [They] would assuredly turne all that hath been ajusted topsie turnie.
ι. Sc. (? associated with topsail: see TOPSAIL c.) 7 topsoltiria, tops o’re tiria, 8–9 tapsalteerie, 9 tapsal-, tapsil-, tapsul-teerie, -teery, tapseeteerie, topsieteerie.
1623. Lithgow, Trav., 202. Let all the misticall drifts and ambiguous designes … turne topsoltiria, or upside downe, I care not.
1684. in Maidment, Bk. Scott. Pasquils (1868), 326. There was a duke so full of pryde There durst no man come neeria Till cam a monkey out of Fife And dang him tops o’re tiria.
1784. Burns, ‘Green grow the Rashes,’ iv. An’ warly cares, an warly men, May a’ gae tapsalteerie, O!
1801. Macneill, Poet. Wks. (1844), 90. And dealing round strong punch and joke, Good-humoured mad, near twa o’clock, Turns a’ things tapsilteery!
1805. A. Scott, Poems (1808), 100. For tapsee-teerie lie the sheaves.
1827. J. Wilson, Noct. Ambr., July, Wks. 1855, II. 10. Wi’ ae desperate wallop we baith gaed tapsalteerie.
B. adj. Turned upside down; inverted, reversed; fig. utterly confused or disorderly.
1618. Bp. W. Barlow, Breife Disc., 8. With those topsituruy motions.
1710. Swift, On a Broomstick, ¶ 2, Wks. 1755, II. I. 181. What is man, but a topsy-turvey creature … his head where his heels should be?
1748. Richardson, Clarissa (1811), II. xxxiv. 248. Dear! what a topsy-turvy house is this!
1856. F. E. Paget, Owlet of Owlst., 1. This queer topsy-turvy world.
1873. Miss Braddon, Lucius Davoren, I. i. It was the topsy-turviest kind of thing I ever heard in my life.
1887. Spectator, 6 Aug., 1050/2. A very topsy-turvy way of reasoning.
1904. Westm. Gaz., 3 June, 8/1. Inventor and engineer of the topsy-turvy railway.
C. sb. The act of turning or fact of being turned upside down; inversion of the proper order; state of utter confusion or disorder.
1655. trans. De Parc’s Francion, IV. 10. They played topsy turvy excellently well, for there was not a book in all the Study which … they had not thrown on the ground.
1683. E. Hooker, Pref. Pordage’s Mystic Div., 24. The whol frame of the world seemeth to me … to circumgyrate, to wheel, whirl, and turn round about in a Topsi-Turvi.
1692. trans. Sallust, 3. Nor should we see such Topsy-Turvies in the World.
1823. Moore, Fables, Holy Alliance, iv. 2. Of all that, to the sage’s survey, This world presents of topsy-turvey.
1879. Geo. Eliot, Theo. Such, x. 181. Finds matter for screaming laughter in mere topsy-turvy.
D. as vb. trans. To turn topsy-turvy or upside down; to invert; fig. to reverse; to throw into utter confusion, upset or disorder greatly. Hence Topsy-turvied ppl. a., Topsy-turvying vbl. sb. and ppl. a.
1626. T. H[awkins], trans. Caussin’s Holy Crt., 163. They had … one sole action in this life, which is to topsy-turuy all things, and to do nothing.
1741. Richardson, Pamela (1824), I. 119. My poor mind is all topsy-turvied.
1807. Southey, Lett. to J. May, 30 March. In this topsey-turveying of ministers. Ibid. (1834), Doctor, xxxix. II. 59. In the topsy-turveying course of time.
1863. Sala, Capt. Dangerous, II. iv. 148. He … Topsy-turvies his goblet.
Hence (chiefly nonce-wds.) Topsy-turvical a., of a topsy-turvy character; Topsy-turvification, a making or turning topsy-turvy, reversal of the natural order; Topsy-turvify v., trans. to make or turn topsy-turvy; Topsy-turvily adv., in a topsy-turvy manner; Topsy-turviment, act of turning or condition of being turned topsy-turvy; Topsy-turviness, topsy-turvy quality or condition; † Topsy-turvyan, an inhabitant of an imaginary ‘Topsy-turvy Island’; Topsy-turvydom, the realm of topsy-turvy, inversion, or confusion; also, topsy-turvy condition or state; Topsy-turvyhood = topsy-turviness; Topsy-turvyism, topsy-turvy system or method; Topsy-turvyist, an advocate of something (considered to be) topsy-turvy; Topsy-turvyize v., trans. to turn topsy-turvy, throw into confusion, upset.
1882. Pall Mall G., 10 Oct., 6. Its *topsy-turvical fun is characteristic of the author.
1840. Thackeray, Paris Sk.-Bk., xvii. Wks. 1900, V. 191. A regular *topsyturvyfication of morality.
1879. G. Saintsbury in Fortn. Rev., No. 151. 55. One of the oddest topsyturvifications of a noble sentiment to be anywhere found.
1886. Sat. Rev., 27 Feb., 286/1. We have *topsyturvified the whole theory of politics.
1887. Saintsbury, Hist. Elizab. Lit., iv. (1894), 146. The topsy-turvified conceits which came to a climax in Crashaw.
1886. Daily Tel., 5 Feb. (Cassell). [He] might well be employed for Faust viewed *topsyturvily.
1908. Athenæum, 29 Aug., 233/1. All the MSS. topsy-turvily give με …. γε σοῦ, with the exception of one, which has σε …. γε σοῦ, whence Brunck restored σε …. γέ μου.
1884. Daily News, 28 March, 5. The *topsy-turvyment of the house.
1842. Fraser’s Mag., XXVI. 544. Full of sport and fun, frolic and *‘topsy-turvyness.’
1892. Times, 22 Dec., 9/3. They lost all perception of the topsy-turvyness of the situation.
1745. Eliza Heywood, Female Spect., No. 19 (1755), IV. 11. The present race of the *Topsy-Turvyans are … too indolent to reflect on their misfortunes.
1878. L. Wingfield, Lady Grizel, III. v. 107. A faint hope that *topsy-turvydom might bring with it the glorious bygone days.
1904. Edin. Rev., April, 469. The most absurd instance of Japanese topseyturveydom.
1791. H. Walpole, Lett. to Miss M. Berry, 19 May. That *topsy-turvy-hood which characterizes the present age.
1855. Dickens, Lett. (1880), I. 408. In that state of topsy-turvyhood.
1880. F. G. Lee, Church under Q. Eliz., I. p. xv. Disorder and *topsy-turvyism must certainly have risen to a perfect climax.
1851. Weekly Wisconsin, 17 Dec., 3/6. Republicans, those awful Reds, Demagogues, *Topsy-turvyists, enemies of order and of society.
1890. Illustr. Lond. News, 9 Aug., 166/2. The new school of topsy-turvyists.
1893. Daily News, 24 July, 6/2. Something like an unusual *topsy-turvyising of this great throughfare might be looked for.
