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   Top·sy-tur·vy

   /ˌtäpsēˈtərvē/

   

   adverb

   • 1. upside down: "the fairground ride turned riders topsy-turvy" Similar upside downinvertedreversedwrong side uphead over heelsupsetbackwardsvice versaOpposite right way up
   • ▪ in or into a state of confusion: "the world has, indeed, gone all topsy-turvy" Similar in disorderdisorderlydisorderedconfusedmixed upmuddledjumbledchaoticdisorganizedmessyuntidyawryupside downupsetdisruptedin confusionin a muddlein a jumblein chaosin disarrayin a messaskewupside downat sixes and sevensinformal:higgledy-piggledyevery which wayOpposite ordered

   adjective

   • 1. placed upside down: "the bookmark showed a topsy-turvy flag"
   • ▪ being in a state of confusion: "the topsy-turvy months of the invasion"

   noun

   • 1. a state of utter confusion: "this economic topsy-turvy has been set in motion by employee ownership of public companies"

   Word Origin early 16th century: apparently based on top1 and obsolete terve ‘overturn’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. topsy-turvydom noun
   • 2. topsy-turvily adverb
   • 3. topsy-turviness noun

   Scrabble Points: 21

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