over the top
Preserved but no longer current.
One is said to go over the top when he takes the final plunge. A phrase from the trench warfare of Wotfld War I when, at zero hour, troops climbed over the parapet of the front-line trenches to advance across No-man's-land to attack the enemy front line. .
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “over the top” mean?
One is said to go over the top when he takes the final plunge. A phrase from the trench warfare of Wotfld War I when, at zero hour, troops climbed over the parapet of the front-line trenches to advance across No-man's-land to attack the enemy front line. .
Is “over the top” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.