arsy-versy

/ (ˈɑːsɪˈvɜːsɪ) /

adverb slang

backwards or upside down

in reverse

Nearby words

arson,
arsonist,
arsphenamine,
arsy,
arsy-varsy,
art,
art brut,
art deco,
art director,
art film

Word Origin for arsy-versy

C16: from arse + Latin versus turned, modelled on compounds like hurly-burly

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for arsy-versy

arsy-versy

adv.

"backside foremost," 1530s, probably a reduplication from arse, perhaps with suggestions from reverse.