topsy-turvy
Preserved but no longer current.
The bottom upwards. Grose gives an ingenious etymology of this once cant term, viz., "top-side turf-ways,"—turf being always laid the wrong side upwards. This is so far ingenious that it creates a fact for the purpose of arguing from it. Turfs are laid with the grass part together during carriage; so, anyhow, the definition could be only half right. In fact, TOPSY-TURVY is but short for "top-side t’other way."
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 “topsy-turvy” mean?
The bottom upwards. Grose gives an ingenious etymology of this once cant term, viz., "top-side turf-ways,"—turf being always laid the wrong side upwards. This is so far ingenious that it creates a fact for the purpose of arguing from it. Turfs are laid with the grass part together during carriage; so, anyhow, the definition could be only half right. In fact, TOPSY-TURVY is but short for "top-side t’other way."
Is “topsy-turvy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.