Topsy-turvy

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Topsy-turvy \Top"sy-tur"vy\, adv. [Earlier topside-turvey,
     topsy-tervy; probably for top so turvy; that is, the top as
     turvy, as it were turvy; where turvy probably means,
     overturned, fr. {AS}. torfian to throw.]
     In an inverted posture; with the top or head downward; upside
     down; as, to turn a carriage topsy-turvy.


     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  topsy-turvy
       adj : in utter disorder; "a disorderly pile of clothes" [syn: {disorderly},
              {higgledy-piggledy}, {hugger-mugger}, {jumbled}]
       adv 1: in a disordered manner; "they were piled up
              higgledy-piggledy" [syn: {higgledy-piggledy}]
       2: in disorderly haste; "we ran head over heels toward the
          shelter" [syn: {head over heels}, {heels over head}, {topsy-turvily},
           {in great confusion}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  19 Moby Thesaurus words for "topsy-turvy":
     backwards, chaotic, confused, disordered, disorderly, disorganized,
     every which way, head over heels, higgledy-piggledy, in a muddle,
     inverted, jumbled, messy, mixed-up, muddled, reversed, untidy,
     upside down, vice versa