adjective🎓 English idiom
topsy-turvy
upside down or in great disorder
What it means
Topsy-turvy describes a situation, room, or world that has been turned upside down, literally or figuratively. It is often used about a sudden reversal of normal order or a chaotic, confused state of affairs.
Words like “topsy-turvy” are exactly the kind of vocabulary our English vocabulary size test measures — find out how many English words you know.
Examples
- The pandemic turned daily life completely topsy-turvy.
- After the move, the house was topsy-turvy for weeks.
- It's a topsy-turvy world when the underdog wins every match.
- She found the books stacked topsy-turvy on the shelf.
Where it comes from
Recorded from the 1520s, probably from 'top' plus an obsolete 'terve' meaning to turn or overturn. The reduplicative form emphasizes the inversion.
Related idioms
🎓 Think you know your idioms?
Take the English Idioms Test — 20 terms, instant result, no signup.
Take the English Idioms TestBuilt by the team behind Deep In.