it's topsy-turvy
confused, disorganised, chaotic
TRANSLATION
topsy-turvy = durcheinander, auf den Kopf gestellt, wie Kraut und Rüben --- to turn everything topsy-turvy = das Unterste zuoberst kehren --- to turn everything topsy-turvy = alles auf den Kopf stellen — the whole town is topsy-turvy = die ganze Stadt steht Kopf — What a topsy-turvy world! = Was für eine verrückte Welt!
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
“It might seem surprising, but we find reassurance in this TOPSY-TURVY Covid-19 news cycle. In fact, we need more of it. Every new test should be compared to the others available, even though that means finding that some are inaccurate.”
The New York Times
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The immediate cause of the TOPSY-TURVY weather is clear. A pattern of atmospheric circulation that tends to keep frigid air in the Arctic has weakened, allowing big tongues of cold air to descend south, while warmer air has moved north.
The Boston Globe
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Love works in miracles every day: such as weakening the strong, and strengthening the weak; making fools of the wise, and wise men of fools; favouring the passions, destroying reason, and in a word, turning everything TOPSY-TURVY.
Marguerite De Valois
Did you
know?
topsy-turvy
adjective, adverb
- (in a state of being) confused, not well organized or giving importance to unexpected things; upside down
Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
- totally disordered
Merriam-Webster
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ORIGIN
Whereas topsy is probably related to top, the origin of turvy is more difficult to pin down.
One theory is that it comes from the Middle English “tirve”, meaning to turn or topple over. Another suggestion is that it is related to “turf” (a synonym for ground), so that topsy-turvy would mean having one’s head on the turf.
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SYNONYMS
chaotic, jumbled, upside-down, helter-skelter, mixed up
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Practice OWAD in a conversation. Say something like:
“Moving into a new home always makes life TOPSY-TURVY for a while.”
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A shout-out to Florian for reminding me of today’s word; and a BIG THANKS to my “Friends-of-OWAD” who are helping me to keep the service going :)
https://donorbox.org/keep-owad-alive
