over!
Preserved but no longer current.
Or OVER THE LEFT, i.e., the left shoulder—a common exclamation of disbelief in what is being narrated,—sometimes implying that the results of a proposed plan will be OVER THE LEFT, i.e., in the wrong direction, loss instead of gain.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “over!” mean?
Or OVER THE LEFT, i.e., the left shoulder—a common exclamation of disbelief in what is being narrated,—sometimes implying that the results of a proposed plan will be OVER THE LEFT, i.e., in the wrong direction, loss instead of gain.
Is “over!” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.