top2
- a toy, often inversely conical, with a point on which it is made to spin.
- sleep like a top, to sleep soundly: After a day of hiking and swimming we slept like tops.
Origin of top2
top1
- the highest or uppermost part of anythingthe top of a hill
- the most important or successful positionto be at the top of the class; the top of the table
- the part of a plant that is above groundcarrot tops
- a thing that forms or covers the uppermost part of anything, esp a lid or capput the top on the saucepan
- the highest degree or pointat the top of his career
- the most important personhe's the top of this organization
- the best or finest part of anythingwe've got the top of this year's graduates
- the loudest or highest pitch (esp in the phrase top of one's voice)
- the beginningthe top of the hour; at the top of the programme
- short for top gear
- cards the highest card of a suit in a player's hand
- sport
- a stroke that hits the ball above its centre
- short for topspin
- a platform around the head of a lower mast of a sailing vessel, the edges of which serve to extend the topmast shrouds
- chem the part of a volatile liquid mixture that distils first
- a garment, esp for a woman, that extends from the shoulders to the waist or hips
- the high-frequency content of an audio signal
- (as modifier)this amplifier has a good top response
- blow one's top informal to lose one's temper
- on top of
- in addition toon top of his accident, he caught pneumonia
- informalin complete control of (a difficult situation, job, etc)
- off the top of one's head with no previous preparation; extempore
- over the top
- over the parapet or leading edge of a trench
- over the limit; excessive(ly); lacking restraint or a sense of proportion
- the top of the morning a morning greeting regarded as characteristic of Irishmen
- of, relating to, serving as, or situated on the topthe top book in a pile
- British informal excellenta top night out
- to form a top on (something)to top a cake with whipped cream
- to remove the top of or fromto top carrots
- to reach or pass the top ofwe topped the mountain
- to be at the top ofhe tops the team
- to exceed or surpass
- slang to kill
- (also intr) sport
- to hit (a ball) above the centre
- to make (a stroke) by hitting the ball in this way
- chem to distil off (the most volatile part) from a liquid mixture
- to add other colorants to (a dye) in order to modify the shade produced
- top and tail
- to trim off the ends of (fruit or vegetables) before cooking them
- to wash a baby's face and bottom without immersion in a bath
Word Origin
top2
- a toy that is spun on its pointed base by a flick of the fingers, by pushing a handle at the top up and down, etc
- anything that spins or whirls around
- sleep like a top to sleep very soundly
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for sleep like a top
top
n.1
"highest point," Old English top "summit, crest, tuft," from Proto-Germanic *tuppaz (cf. Old Norse toppr "tuft of hair," Old Frisian top "tuft," Old Dutch topp, Dutch top, Old High German zopf "end, tip, tuft of hair," German Zopf "tuft of hair"); no certain connections outside Germanic except a few Romanic words probably borrowed from Germanic.
Few Indo-European languages have a word so generic, which can be used of the upper part or surface of just about anything. More typical is German, which has Spitze for sharp peaks (mountains), oberfläche for the upper surface of flat things (such as a table). Top dog first attested 1900; top-drawer (1920) is from British expression out of the top drawer "upper-class."
top
n.2
"toy that spins on a point," late Old English top, probably a special use of top (n.1), but the modern word is perhaps via Old French topet, which is from a Germanic source akin to the root of English top (n.1). As a type of seashell, first recorded 1680s.
top
Idioms and Phrases with sleep like a top
top
In addition to the idioms beginning with top
also see: