hotsy-totsy

American

[hot-see-tot-see] / ˈhɒt siˈtɒt si /

adjective

Older Slang.

about as right as can be; perfect.

He always thinks everything is just hotsy-totsy.

Etymology

Origin of hotsy-totsy

First recorded in 1925–30; allegedly coined by Billy DeBeck (1890–1942), U.S. cartoonist; rhyming compound based on hot

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

My worries about Timothy Spall as a toff have been allayed; he's a hotsy-totsy Clarence.

From The Guardian • Jan. 20, 2013

All season Owner Yawkey, Manager Joe Cronin and their moody star, Ted Williams, have pitched a hotsy-totsy tone for the club � play ball, and ignore the public.

From Time Magazine Archive

On the contrary, I was heart and soul in favour of healing the breach and rendering everything hotsy-totsy once more between these two young sundered blighters.

From Right Ho, Jeeves by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)

The point is that, as far as Tuppy and Angela are concerned, we may say with confidence that everything will shortly be hotsy-totsy once more.

From Right Ho, Jeeves by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023