Brewer's: Topsy-turvy

Upside down. (Anglo-Saxon, top side turn-aweg.) As Shakespeare says, “Turn it topsy-turvy down.” (1 Henry IV., iv. 1.) (See Half-Seas Over.)

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language