toppingn.1
/ˈtɒpɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈtɑpɪŋ/ I. An object or thing which forms the top part of something or is placed on top of something else, and related senses.† 2. Apparently: an arrow tip. Obsolete.† 5. Typography. A fine line or serif at the top of an ascending letter. Cf. footing n. 8c. Obsolete.
1. † b. A tall headdress made of ribbons, lace, and linen frills usually supported by a wire frame, in fashion in the late 17th and early 18th centuries; = topknot n. 1a. Cf. top n.1 22. Obsolete.† d. Scottish. A woollen pompom typically used to decorate the top of Scotch cap. Obsolete.
a. A tuft of hair, feathers, etc., on the head of an animal or bird; spec. (a) the forelock of a horse; (b) a crest on a bird. Also: a person's hair; a tuft or curl of hair on the front of a person's head. Cf. topknot n. 1c, topple n.1 Now regional (chiefly English regional (northern)).
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the world > animals > animal body > general parts > covering or skin > [noun] > coat > hair, wool, or fur > crest or forelock
topa1225
cresta1387
toppingc1400
tuft1598
foretop1607
fore-topping1683
forelock1711
antiae1874
the world > life > the body > hair > hair of head > [noun]
lockeOE
faxc900
hairc1000
hairc1000
headOE
topc1275
toppingc1400
peruke1548
fleece1577
crine1581
head of hair1587
poll1603
a fell of haira1616
thatcha1634
maidenhair1648
chevelure1652
wool1697
toupet1834
nob-thatch1846
barnet1857
toss1946
the world > life > the body > hair > hair of head > topknot > [noun]
toppingc1400
copping1688
toupee1731
the world > animals > birds > parts of or bird defined by > [noun] > head > feathers on
cop1483
top1578
copple1600
copple-crowna1635
topping1694
mufty1829
muff1850
ear tab1851
calotte1874
aigrette1917
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 191 Þe tayl & his [a horse's] toppyng twynnen of a sute, & bounden boþe wyth a bande of a bryȝt grene.
a1450 Ordination of Nuns (Vesp.) in E. A. Kock Rule St. Benet (1902) 146 (MED) Þen sal þe prelete with a payr of schers be-gyn forto kut hir hair befor at þe toppyng.
1593 Bacchus' Bountie in Harl. Misc. (1809) II. 268 Shee..tooke him roundly by the topping.
1694 Philos. Trans. 1693 (Royal Soc.) 17 997 The Tewits are smaller than the English, and have no long Toppins.
a1720 J. Sheffield Wks. (1753) II. 140 A little Indian Bird is call'd a Pope, only because there grows a high Topping upon his head.
1751 M. Delany Autobiogr. & Corr. (1861) III. 39 A black cock and hen with white toppings.
1824 Scots Mag. May 541 I thought the Judge wad ha'e ta'en the Doctor by the tappin.
1894 J. T. Clegg David's Loom xv. 158 Yo looken fawse enough, sittin' theere like a row o' poll parrots wi yor white toppins.
1998 T. P. Dolan Dict. Hiberno-Eng. (1999) 274/1 Toppin, a tuft of feathers, especially on a hen.
2009 S. Waddell Road Back Home (2010) 206 He put on a clean shirt, tie and waistcoat and slotted a watch-chain with an old Booth Cup football medal..hanging on it, and pasted down his thinning topping of hair with water.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > tall
turret1473
high head1580
towerc1612
fontange1685
commodea1687
cop1688
toppingc1690
cock-up1692
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > accessories worn in the hair > [noun]
tiring1552
toppingc1690
pompom1748
?1690 Oxford-shire Betty (single sheet) I wear my Topping, Lace, and Fan, and am on Daintys feeding.
1700 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical vi. 57 They..touch the Clouds with their proud Toppings.
a1704 T. Brown Walk round London in 3rd Vol. Wks. (1708) iii. 23 High Topping and Lace in a Woman, they abominate, as Ensigns of Vanity.
c. Angling. In fly fishing: a feather from the crest of a bird, esp. a golden pheasant, used in making a fly.
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1726 Gentleman Angler 17 Take the Hackel of a Cock, or Capon's Neck, or a Plover's Topping.
1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports i. v. ii. §4. 247/1 Tail of two slips of brown mallard's feather, with a thin topping of golden-pheasant's crest.
1877 C. Hallock Sportsman's Gazetteer 599 The tail [of a salmon fly] is what is usually called a ‘topping’, i.e. feather from the crest of the golden pheasant.
2004 C. Mann Hairwing & Tube Flies for Salmon & Steelhead 51 This fly dates back to the middle of the 19th century and is one of a whole series of Irish flies with a wing of multiple golden pheasant toppings.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > parts of headgear > [noun] > knot or tassel
buttona1547
tuft1670
1806 J. Black Falls of Clyde i. i. 108 It's [sc. a man's bonnet] buried here amang the sweens, sae clean, That nought o't but the tappin's to be seen.
1830 W. Bennett Traits Sc. Life II. vi. 212 Blue bonnets with red tappens.
e. Scottish, English regional (northern), and Irish English (northern). A person or animal's head. Cf. topper n.1 9.
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1814 W. Nicholson Tales in Verse 91 Wi' frills an' feathers on his tappin', He flegs thro' a' the nooks o' Wappin'.
1863 R. Quinn Heather Lintie (ed. 2) 253 Forbid that thy infernal crown Sud e'er grace Bauldy's tappen.
1872 J. Hartley Yorks. Ditties 2nd Ser. 66 Thi toppin's grown whiter nor once.
1995 J. M. Sims-Kimbrey Wodds & Doggerybaw: Lincs. Dial. Dict. 316/2 Mind yer toppin; A'm jest gwine ter lift this ovver an' it's 'eavy.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > archer's weapons > [noun] > arming for
topping1495
1495 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (de Worde) xviii. xiii. sig. aaviii/1 Of oxe hornes ben made tappynge [a1398 BL Add. tippynge, a1450 Bodl. tippinges] & nockes to boowes..& arowes to shete ayenst enmyes.
3. Chiefly English regional (Yorkshire). A high hill; a peak. Now usually as preserved in the names of particular hills in North Yorkshire, esp. Roseberry Topping, Blakey Topping.
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the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > hill > [noun] > other
holt1567
beacon1597
ward-hill?a1680
nubble1776
sub-mountain1799
drumlinoid1895
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > hill or mountain > [noun] > summit > pointed
pike1243
pico1596
peak1613
pic1658
obelisk1705
horn1820
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Britain i. 721 They haue a Proverbiall Rhime, when Rosebery Topping weares a cap. Let Cliveland then beware a clap.
1668 T. Allin Jrnl. 18 Oct. (1940) (modernized text) II. 52 On the easternmost side of the bay is a topping like the top of a sugar-loaf.
1783 T. Pierson Roseberry-Toppin 27 Has Ida or Olympus quickly left, His late abodes, to view this famous isle, To grace this Toppin with his senate wise.
1895 C. Cotterell Summer Holidays in N.E. Eng. p. xi Hills and mountains..are anything and everything, from hopes, laws, fells and nabs, to howes..and toppings.
4. In plural.† c. English regional (East Anglian). The second skimming of cream from the top of the milk. Obsolete.In quot. 1573 the gests referred to concern cheese and cheese-making, suggesting that toppins may mean ‘curds’. Tusser lived and farmed in East Anglia, and a link between this use and the sense later recorded is probable.
a. English regional (chiefly south midlands). The finest kind of bran; (later also) bran mixed with sweepings from the mill, typically used as fodder for livestock. Now rare.
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the world > food and drink > food > corn, cereals, or grain > bran > [noun] > fine bran
pollard1742
randan1858
toppings1880
1618 R. Loder Farm Accts. (1936) 139 Of whit wheat at 3s. ye topings & 2s 8d. ye cleanings.
1880 R. Jefferies Hodge & Masters I. vi. 122 Old Hodson..would not even fatten a pig, because it cost a trifle of ready money for ‘toppings’, or meal.
1897 A. H. Cocks Local Words S. Bucks. in Rec. Bucks. 7 301 In grinding wheat, the terms in use in S. Bucks (perhaps universally?) are, 1st, Husks; 2nd, Pollard; 3rd, Toppings; and, lastly, Flour.
1969 M. Harris Kind of Magic 19 One [pig] would be killed and salted for the family's use, the others would be sold to pay for the toppings (pig food).
b. Cuttings from the tops of trees, bushes, grasses, etc. Cf. sense 8a.In quot. 1794 in extended use with reference to the tops of hemp removed in hackling.
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the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [noun] > pruning or lopping > prunings or loppings
shreddingc950
trouse978
stickc1175
rammelc1250
spray1297
brush1330
shriding1340
shridels1399
lopc1420
shraggingc1440
shroud1475
tops1485
polling1557
brutting1577
lopping1589
pruning1658
toppings1668
scorel1671
loppage1683
lop-wood1693
shrouding1725
cropping1768
a1656 H. Rolle Abridgment des Cases (1668) sig. P4v Les toppings del arbers crescent sur son Copihold.
a1777 S. Foote Cozeners (1778) i. 11 You are to have all the loppings and toppings.
1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 62 The toppings of all hemp..is made into spun-yarn.
1801 Farmer's Mag. Apr. 231 Many individuals have used heath and toppings of whins for their cattle.
1958 M. S. Pillai Cultural Trials & Pract. of Rice in India x. 137 The wasteful process of rabbing, i.e. burning of the seed-bed area with cow-dung, grass, toppings of trees, etc., can be substituted by manuring seed-beds with cow-dung.
2001 Ledger (Lakeland, Florida) (Nexis) 2 Nov. (East Polk section) f3 Yard trash, which is grass clippings or leaves, shrubbery, vines, tree limbs, tree toppings and similar material, must be placed in plastic bags or containerized.
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the world > food and drink > food > dairy produce > [noun] > milk > second skimming
toppingsa1825
1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry f. 45 A lesson for dayrie mayde Cysley of ten Toppins gests.]
a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) Toppings, the second skimming of milk; the first being properly called cream.
1902 M. B. Betham-Edwards Mock Beggars' Hall xviii. 162 The confidential dairymaid brought in her noggin of toppings or second skimming of cream for tea.
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society > communication > printing > printed matter > printed character(s) > [noun] > serif
topping1676
serif1785
1676 J. Moxon Regulæ Trium Ordinum 6 Capital I is all Stem, except the Base and Topping.
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 126 The Topping, is the straight fine Stroak or Stroaks that lie in the Top-Line of Ascending Letters.
6.
a. An overlying or top layer. Cf. top v.1 11.
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the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > a layer > [noun] > an overlying or top layer
superstratum1703
topping1839
superstrate1936
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 580 The pot is now ready for receiving the topping of cullet, which is broken pieces of window glass.
1895 Westm. Gaz. 23 Nov. 7/2 From five to twelve score of whiting, with a topping of codling, form average baskets.
1955 Water: Yearbk. Agric. (U.S. Dept. Agric.) 318/2 The topping should consist of material with a coarse enough texture to resist erosion.
2009 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 19 Dec. d4/1 The little furnace..has a topping of granite stones imported from Finland.
b. Originally U.S. A layer of food poured or spread on top of other food to add flavour or provide decoration; (originally) spec. a garnish added to the top of a serving of ice cream.
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the world > food and drink > food > additive > garnish > [noun]
garnish1673
fixing1820
topping1926
1915 South Haven (Michigan) Daily Tribune 11 Nov. (advt.) Ice Cream Sodas Cream Toppings.
1950 Manch. Guardian Weekly 31 Aug. 5 Sundae ‘toppings’.
1981 Living Trends (U.S.) Summer 6 Ice cream plus one or two toppings, such as crushed peanuts, toasted coconut, maple syrup, cherries.
2003 E. Powell tr. S. Jamal Arabian Flavours 61 This classic rice..will, when it is served, be garnished with a topping of..lightly fried minced meat.
2015 S. Crossan One 182 Tippi and Yasmeen..are looking at a takeout menu and choosing pizza toppings.
c. U.S. slang or regional. Dessert, pudding; a cake, pastry, or other sweet item.Apparently originally in the language of tramps.
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the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > cake > [noun] > a cake
cakea1325
drop1723
fuggan1810
Kuchen1854
wad1919
tabnab1933
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > pastry > [noun] > article(s) made of
bakemeatc1405
pastry1526
baked meat?1560
pastry work1565
paste meat1597
patisserie1784
tabnab1933
1926 Amer. Speech 1 653/2 Toppings, pastry or cakes.
1944 Amer. Speech 19 103 Toppings are dessert, or any bakery stuff.
1986 L. Pederson LAGS Concordance in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (2012) V. at Topping n. For pudding he would say topping.
II. The action of topping something (in various senses of top v.1).
7.
a. The action of adding a top or upper part or section to something.
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the world > space > relative position > high position > [noun] > upper part > top piece or part > putting a top on
topping1504
1504 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1900) II. 279 His task of the ending and topping of the chimnais of Halyrudhous.
1671 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Glasgow (1905) III. 158 Provyding he build his windowes..with stone..to have sex hundreth pundis, and that immediatly after his topping of the said windowes.
1876 Law Jrnl. Rep. 45 192/2 But for the fact of the tide having occurred the defendant's wall would not have been considered to require topping.
1909 Daily Chron. 18 Jan. 9/5 Trousers.—A smart girl wanted for topping and seams.
2018 Malta Today (Nexis) 16 Nov. The interventions regarding the rubble walls were not significant as these were limited to the topping of the walled surface with concrete.
b. The action or practice of displaying the largest and best fresh produce, esp. fruit, on the top of a punnet, box, or other container in order to give customers a favourable impression of its quality. Also with up. Cf. top v.1 11b, topper n.1 11.Chiefly in the use of market gardeners and greengrocers.
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1851 Gardeners' Chron. 8 Mar. 149/2 Considerable skill is exercised in what is termed, ‘topping up of a pottle’, so as to give to its top the form of a cone.
1888 Times 8 Sept. 9/2 The practice of what is known..as topping, that is of putting good fruit at the top, and of filling the rest of the hamper with rubbish.
2013 A. Heath Life of George Ranken Askwith 28 The topping up of the boxes, according to the fish lumpers, was a very skilled operation and showed the fish to their best advantage.
8.
a. The action of cutting off the top of a tree, bush, or other plant.Sometimes in collocation with lopping: cf. top v.1 4b, lopping n.1 1.
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the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [noun] > pruning or lopping
shreddingc1000
putation?1440
snathing1485
loppingc1511
brushing1513
topping1513
twisting1535
pruning1548
heading1552
browsing1574
lop1575
disbranching1600
debranching1601
stocking1611
stowing1618
polling1626
supputation1656
summer pruning1669
snedding1720
shrouding1725
pollarding1794
thinning1800
brashing1950
1513 Accts. St. John's Hosp., Canterbury (Canterbury Cathedral Archives: CCA-U13/4) For toppyng of xij treys & broshyng.
1550 T. Cranmer Def. Sacrament Pref. sig. *iijv The cuttyng away wherof, is but like toppyng and loppyng of a tree.
1657 W. Morice Coena quasi Κοινὴ ii. 37 Those that could not be satisfied with the topping, but wished the cutting down of the..Tree.
1797 A. Young Gen. View Agric. Suffolk 109 Take up [carrots] at 14d. to 16d. a load, topping included.
1838 T. Watson Spiritual Life Delineated li. 393 It is only the topping of weeds while we leave their root in the ground.
1931 Devon & Exeter Gaz. 27 Nov. 11/1 Mr. Strawbridge, in seconding, said if the Council did the work referred to, farmers would do the topping and lopping.
2021 Whanganui (N.Z.) Chron. (Nexis) 6 Nov. b9 Every time The Landscaper and I walk under the row (is four trees a row?) of olive trees bordering our little orchard, we remind each other that they need topping.
b. The process of levelling (by shortening) the teeth of a toothed wheel, or of a saw.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > parts of wheels > tooth > levelling of
topping1881
1850 E. B. Denison Rudimentary Treat. Clock & Watch Making i. cix. 141 The practice of topping, or turning off the tops of the teeth by way of correcting the depths is entirely wrong, because it takes off the most curved part of the teeth.
1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 42 The wheel is so fragile that care is required in topping.
1924 F. D. Jones Gear-cutting Processes xv. 302 This hob takes a very light topping cut; that is, it removes a slight amount of stock from the tops of the teeth.
1993 Collins Compl. DIY Man. (new ed.) xi. 480/4 Topping restores all of a saw's teeth to the same height. It is not absolutely essential every time a saw is sharpened, but a light topping will produce a spot of bright metal on each point that will help you sharpen the teeth evenly.
2010 L. Goring Man. 1st & 2nd Fixing Carpentry (ed. 3) xxii. 245 Excessive topping creates extra work in the next operation, shaping.
9. Dice. A method of cheating in which a player secretly retains one or more of the dice between their fingers while shaking the rest in the box (box n.2 2c). Cf. top v.1 19a. Now historical.
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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > dice-playing > [noun] > cheating
cogc1555
coggingc1555
slura1643
knapa1658
topping1663
petard1664
prick-penny1664
knapping1671
palming1671
gammoning1700
top1709
eclipse1711
peep1711
waxing1726
sightingc1752
1663 Proposal to use no Conscience 3 Holding one or two Dice at the top of a Dice-Box, which we Gamesters call Topping.
1671 R. Head & F. Kirkman Eng. Rogue IV. xvi. sig. R7 You must sometimes use Topping; that is, by pretending to put both Dice into the Box, whereas you have dropt but one, holding the other between your forefingers.
1726 Whole Art & Myst. of Mod. Gaming (title page) Working with a grate Box, Eclipsing, Sighting, Waxing, and Topping.
1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel II. xii. 283 Men talk of high and low dice..topping, knapping, slurring.
2005 J. Eglin Imaginary Autocrat v. 128 ‘Topping’ was a variation of palming, except that one die was held between two fingers rather than in the palm.
10. British. slang. Execution by hanging.Recorded earliest in compounds (see Compounds 1).
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society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > hanging > [noun]
hanginga1300
hangmentc1440
gallows1483
gibbet1502
Tyburn checka1529
Tyburn stretch1573
caudle of hempseed1588
hempen caudle1588
swinging1591
rope law1592
rope-leap1611
cording1619
turn1631
nubbing1673
cravatting1683
gibbetation1689
topping1699
Tyburn jig1699
noosing1819
scragging1819
Tyburn tie1828
Newgate hornpipe1829
dance upon nothing1841
drop1887
suspension1909
1673 R. Head Canting Acad. Gallows, Topping cheat.
1836 Age 10 Apr. 114/1 The topping of Fieschi, Morey, and Pepin, not the extinction of the liberty of the press, have failed to make good boys of those rascals the French.
1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights 173 The day after a topping it is all forgotten and nobodey [sic] ever speaks of it again.
1971 Times 6 Oct. 3/8 I deserve topping for shooting a copper.
2008 C. Bronson Loonyology (2010) (e-book ed.) Q: When was the last topping in Strangeways? A: Fucking easy. It was actually the last hanging in England and it took place on 13 August 1964.
Phrases
P1. topping and tailing: the action or practice of topping and tailing something (top v.1 Phrases 1), now esp. of washing the face and bottom of a baby or small child.Not common in North American usage.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > washing a baby's face and bottom
topping and tailing1931
1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 58 Topping and Tailing is the clearing both ends of the hemp with the hatchell.
1879 Subject-matter Index Patents 1877 138/2 Turnip topping and tailing machines.
1931 P. W. Yeomans Happy Motherhood vii. 69 A..recommendation of the evening tub comes when the baby crawls and gets really grubby. Topping-and-tailing is not then sufficient.
1941 U. Orange Tom Tiddler's Ground xi. 205 The next hour was a busy one, what with Norman's ‘topping and tailing’, Norman's bottle and Marguerite's bath.
2002 P. Tassoni Certif. in Child Care & Educ. (ed. 3) 266 The idea of topping and tailing is to keep babies clean and fresh either instead of or between baths.
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the world > space > distance > [noun] > limit of distance or reach > from which land visible from ship's top
topping of the land1666
1666 London Gaz. No. 77/1 Whitby, August 3. Several of our Fisherboats inform us that the Dutch Busses, and Doggers are fishing, a little off the Topping of the Land.
Compounds
C1. As a modifier (in sense 10).† topping cheat n. British slang Obsolete the gallows.† topping cove n. British slang Obsolete a hangman.The gloss in quot. 1673 is apparently a misprint.
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1673 R. Head Canting Acad. Gallows, Topping cheat.
1830 E. Bulwer-Lytton Paul Clifford I. ii. 28 They as swindles, does more and risks less than they as robs; and if you cheats toppingly, you may laugh at the topping cheat.
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1673 R. Head Canting Acad. High-way, Topping Cove.
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Topping cove, the hangman.
1847 Jack Sheppard 64/1 The topping coves are getting too wide a-wake for us hereabouts.
topping shed n. British slang (now historical) the area of a prison in which the gallows are located.
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1937 E. Raymond Marsh iv. ii. 317 ‘Where's the condemned cell?’ ‘Next to the toppin' shed, matey.’
1962 F. Norman Guntz vi. 45 A man in the topping shed on the morning of his judicial murder is often dragged to the scaffold by his barnet.
2003 Spectator (Nexis) 3 May 28 In the old days of what was affectionately known as the topping shed the infrequent official executions acted as a kind of catharsis for many of the inmates' suicidal feelings.
C2. With following adverb, forming nouns of action corresponding to phrasal verbs (see top v.1 Phrasal verbs).
topping off n. the action of topping off (in various senses of to top off at top v.1 Phrasal verbs); esp. the action of putting the final, highest structural feature on (a building), typically as a ceremony marking the building's completion; frequently in topping-off ceremony.
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1836 L. Andrews Vocab. Words Hawaiian Lang. 70/2 Ki-pa-pa, the topping off of a wall; the filling up of a hole with stones.
1889 W. C. Russell Marooned I. ix. 154 The unfortunate wretch, whose long punishment certainly did not need the topping off of a round of abuse.
1932 New Castle (Pa.) News 15 Feb. 12/4 The ‘topping off’ ceremony staged by contractors and steel erectors at the finish of a skyscraper frame is quite impressive.
1971 Winnipeg Free Press 2 Oct. 4/3 (caption) Placing of a fir tree at the top of the John Hancock Tower in Boston marks the topping-off of the 790-foot building.
1992 Chicago Tribune's The Arts 20 Dec. 16/3 Each tank..full enough to require no topping off.
2021 Worksop Guardian (Nexis) 4 Dec. Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service..will participate in a topping-off ceremony as the exterior building work of the new Worksop fire station is finished.
topping out n. the action of topping out (in various senses of to top out at top v.1 Phrasal verbs); esp. the action of putting the final, highest structural feature on (a building), typically as a ceremony marking the building's completion; frequently in topping-out ceremony.
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society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > building or providing with specific parts > [noun] > roofing > other processes
sarking1464
shell construction1946
topping out1961
1833 Phenix Gaz. (Alexandria, Va.) 19 Nov. The topping out of the chimney was postponed to the next fair day.
1938 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 16 June b15/2 The traditional ‘topping-out’ ceremony, the raising of an American flag on the topmost girder.
1952 J. F. Dobie Mustangs viii. 133 I took my stand, beside the topping-out place on the trail.
2000 N.Y. Times 13 Dec. b9/5 Representatives of the various companies involved with the building and some 500 trade union members celebrated the ‘topping out’.
2021 Citizen (Tanzania) (Nexis) 18 June Guests from China and Egypt on Thursday held a topping-out ceremony for the 385-meter-high Iconic Tower, which will be the tallest building in Africa.
topping up n. the action of topping something up (in various senses of to top up at top v.1 Phrasal verbs).See also sense 7b.
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the world > action or operation > completing > [noun] > bringing to perfection
completing1644
topping up1890
the world > space > place > presence > fact of taking up space > [noun] > filling > bringing to capacity
saturation1662
topping up1890
1655 J. Lightfoot Harmony New-Test. 115 This backsliding from the Doctrine and Profession of Christ once received, was the topping up of the iniquity of that Nation.
1838 Tait's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 149/1 At the Dean's age, a bottle of claret a-day is too cold without a good foundation of Madeira or sherry, and a topping up of liqueur.
1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer (1891) 403 It was not thought advisable to wait longer for the ultimate ‘topping up’ of the beeves. They were good enough.
1935 Motor Commerce Jan. 8 (advt.) Acid-level indicator..shows when the maximum level is reached on ‘topping-up’, and so safeguards against over-filling.
1963 Motor 17 July 3/1 The automatic gearbox of my 3.4 Jaguar was in need of topping up.
2017 R. Curtis From Higher Places iii. 38 She would turn a blind eye to the topping up of her glass by over-attentive males.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2022; most recently modified version published online December 2022).
toppingn.2
The action of top v.2 topping-lift (Nautical), each of a pair of lifts (lift n.2 7) by which a yard may be topped; in quot. 1841 transferred.
Π
1743 J. Bulkeley & J. Cummins Voy. to South-seas 117 We made the Signal for her, by hoisting an Ensign at the Topping-Lift.
1769 W. Falconer Shipwreck (ed. 3) ii. 61 (note) To raise one yard-arm higher than the other..is..called topping.
1841 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 4 56/2 The shaft rotates in a bearing, and can be raised or lowered by means of a topping lift.
1882 G. S. Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 51 The sprit-sail-gaff topping lift [is] fitted with an eye splice.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2019).
toppingn.3
The twisting of the strands over a top (top n.2 3) in laying a rope. topping sledge, the loaded sledge or carriage to which one end of the strands is attached in laying, which advances as they are shortened by twisting.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > rope-making equipment > [noun] > sledge
slead1688
sledge1794
topping sledge1825
sled1874
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 438 The forward movement of the stranding, topping, and dragging sledges, is that slow progressive movement necessarily required..by the shortening or shrinking up of the strands in twisting,..and of the strands and cordage, either common or patent, whilst hardening and topping.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2019).
toppingadj.adv.
/ˈtɒpɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈtɑpɪŋ/ A. adj.† 1. Very high; towering above the onlooker. Obsolete.† 5. U.S. regional (New England). Domineering; arrogant, boastful. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > [adjective] > surpassing
supereminent1555
eminent1588
overpeering1598
overtoppinga1615
topping1681
1616 T. Gainsford Secretaries Studie sig. Q4/2 Life and the best life but a topping tree Set in the midst of a confused grange.
1692 J. Ray Wisdom of God (ed. 2) i. 205 Chains of lofty and topping Mountains.
?1706 E. Hickeringill Priest-craft: 2nd Pt. v. 48 Every little Domine (when mounted over our heads in the topping Pulpit) is as positive,..and pragmatical, as any Woman.
2. Of the sea: having large, cresting waves; (also) designating such a wave.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > state of sea > [adjective] > rough
woodc900
drofc1000
bremea1300
scaldinga1300
sharp1377
wrothc1400
welteringc1420
rude?a1439
wawishc1450
wallya1522
robustuousa1544
troublesome1560
turbulent1573
boisterous?1594
lofty1600
enridged1608
hollow1705
ugly1744
testy1833
topping1857
seething1871
troughy1877
1688 tr. G. Tachard Relation Voy. Siam i. 36 We have seen it sometimes in the night-time covered all over with sparks, when it is a little high and the water breaks with a topping Sea.
1857 W. Cook in Mercantile Marine Mag. (1858) 5 42 The sea..changed to a kind of boil, or topping sea, as if surged up from beneath.
1880 North Amer. (Philadelphia) 3 July Wait, eager spirit, till the topping waves Shall roll their gathering strength in one.
1897 Owl 25 June 17/1 It was a dark and blowy night, with a high, topping sea.
2010 R. Chesler Wired Kingdom 74 The sunlight flashed off the topping swells and a brilliant rainbow rose in the mist surrounding the helicopter.
3. † b. Used ironically of a person of low status or dubious character. Obsolete.
a. Pre-eminent or highly distinguished in rank, degree, etc.; of superior status, importance, or level; principal, chief; very best.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > pre-eminence > [adjective]
firsteOE
headOE
highOE
greatc1350
upperestc1374
chief1377
singular1377
principala1382
royalc1425
cardinal1440
pre-eminenta1460
praisea1475
main1480
maina1525
primary1565
captain1566
arch1574
mistressa1586
capital1597
topless1609
primea1616
metropolitan1635
transeminent1660
whole1675
uppermost1680
primus inter pares1688
topping1694
Sudder1787
par excellence1839
banner1840
primatial1892
1691 J. Dunton Voy. round World II. i. 17 I have a topping Example for the same, which to vindicate both my self and him, shall be here inserted.
1698 J. Crull Antient & Present State Muscovy I. xi. 306 The topping Saint of all Muscovy, for Miracles, is one Sergius.
1705 Acct. of Conf. between Duke of Buckingham & Father Fitzgerald in Duke of Buckingham Misc. Wks. II. 51 She was able to buy out her Lease, and is now the Topping Dame of the Parish.
?1732 Life & Char. M. Moders (ed. 2) App. 74 The Landlady readily granted the use of her best Chamber, whither the Corpse was brought, and a topping Undertaker in Leadenhall-street laid hold of the Jobb.
1840 F. Trollope Widow Married I. v. 116 Taking her to court, and to a few other topping places.
1893 Daily News 6 June 7/3 Some prime animals which took the topping rates of the day's trade.
1923 A. G. Hales Queen of Hearts viii. 175 He's got a perfect balance; it's his sort that makes the topping riders across country.
2016 Newstex Blogs (Nexis) 27 Sept. They will have to beat the topping speed of 0-62mph in less than 3.0 seconds which is set by Ferrari.
ΚΠ
1693 T. P. Blount Nat. Hist. Pref. 5 Let these high-flown Topping Sparks, swell and strut as much as they please.
1707 in E. Ward Wooden World Dissected Ded. sig. A5 Some..topping Dawber of Sign-Posts.
1847 A. Smith Christopher Tadpole (1848) xix. 169 One of those topping gents you see in the slips of the play-houses at half-price.
4. colloquial (chiefly British). Of high quality; excellent, first-rate. Now dated.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [adjective] > very excellent or first-rate
gildenc1225
prime1402
rare1483
grand1542
holy1599
pre-excelling1600
paregal1602
classic1604
of (the) first rate1650
solary1651
first rate1674
superb1720
tip-top1722
tip-top-gallant1730
swell1819
topping1822
of the first (also finest, best, etc.) water1826
No. 11829
brag1836
A11837
A No. 11838
number one1839
awful1843
bully1851
first class1852
class1867
champion1880
too1881
tipping1887
alpha plus1898
bonzer1898
grade A1911
gold star1917
world-ranking1921
five-star1936
too much1937
first line1938
vintage1939
supercolossal1947
top1953
alpha1958
fantabulous1959
beauty1963
supercool1965
world-class1967
primo1973
1727 J. M. Smythe Rival Modes ii. 25 A topping way to gain a Lady's Heart this truly: I fancy I could shine in myself.
1822 J. Galt Provost xlvi. 347 Instead of being drowned, as it now is, in debt, it [sc. the borough] might have been in the most topping way.
1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. II. vii. 121 He may have made topping averages in first-rate matches of cricket.
1919 ‘Sapper’ Mufti i. 29 The League of Nations; or the triumph of Democracy, or the War to end War. They all sound so topping, don't they?
1989 H. Leonard Out after Dark 112 We were great, he said. Oh, topping; grand, A.1.
2003 S. Brett Murder in Museum xiii. 104 So thank you, my dear old chum, for a topping Christmas.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > boasting or boastfulness > blustering or bravado > [adjective]
termagant1546
roisterly1555
swashing1556
puffing1566
roisting1567
cocking1568
braving1579
huffling1582
kill-cow1589
roister-doistering1593
roister-doisterly1593
hufty-tufty1596
swaggering1596
huff-cap1597
sword-and-buckler1598
huffing1602
pyrgopolinizing1605
bold-beatinga1616
swash1635
swaga1640
blustering1652
bravashing1652
hectoring1664
hectorly1676
huffy1677
huff-snuff1693
swashbuckling1693
flustering1698
blustery1739
huffish1755
bravading1812
topping1815
Bobadilish1832
Bobadilian1837
fanfaronading1837
bucko1883
swashbucklering1884
swaggery1886
blokeish1920
blokey1938
?1815 D. Humphreys Yankey in Eng. 30 She's lofty—topping—has her highs—sometimes.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xxix. 147 She'd..have me know..that I wasn't going to be so topping as I had been.
1857 J. T. Adams Knight of Golden Melice i. 29 Never had he dared to exhibit such topping insolence.
1902 H. G. Rowe Maid of Bar Harbor (1904) 311 She's been so toppin' sense she got back that you can't touch 'er with a ten-foot pole. Thinks she's head an' shoulders above good, nice, stay-at-home girls.
B. adv.† 1. With reference to the movement of a horse: with a high and impressive carriage of the head. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1683 London Gaz. No. 1860/8 [He] rides very topping, and hath all his paces.
1694 London Gaz. No. 2959/4 A Bay Nag,..carries his head very topping.
1706 London Gaz. No. 4209/4 A very dark bay Gelding.., lean, but rides bold and topping.
2. colloquial (chiefly British). As an intensifier: very, exceedingly. Cf. sense A. 4, toppingly adv. Now dated.Quot. 1686 probably shows an isolated use with the meaning ‘so full as to rise above or surpass something’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [adverb]
fairlyOE
goodlyc1275
finec1330
properlyc1390
daintily?a1400
thrivinglya1400
goodlily?1457
excellent1483
excellently1527
excellently1529
curiously1548
jollilyc1563
admirably1570
beautifully1570
singularly1576
bravelyc1600
famouslya1616
manlya1616
primely1622
prime1648
eximiously1650
topping1683
egregiously1693
purely1695
trimmingly1719
toppinglya1739
surprisingly1749
capitally1750
brawly1796
jellily18..
stammingly1814
divinely1822
stunningly1823
rippingly1828
jam up1835
out of sight1835
first-rately1843
first rate1844
like a charm1845
stunning1851
marvellously1859
magnificently1868
first class1871
splendidly1883
sterlingly1883
tip-top1888
like one o'clock1901
deevily1905
goodo1907
dandy1908
bonzer1914
great1916
juicily1916
corkingly1917
champion1925
unbeatably1928
snodger1946
beaut1953
smashingly1956
groovily1970
awesome1984
1686 Love's Posie xx. 123 Oh, that a little effective and real Passion would inspirit me instead of that Picture-affection, wherewith your two last are topping full!]
1798 C. Stearns Female Gamesters i. iv. in Dramatic Dialogues 174 I told him I would go to the card-party and would not stir to Gloucester—And I went out of the room, topping high.
1880 Bell's Life in London 20 Mar. 11/6 Every eddy held dozens of topping big fish.
1896 R. Kipling in Pearson's Mag. Dec. 678/2 If he gives us ‘O Captain’ it's topping full.
2011 P. Stone Romeo & Juliet Code (e-book ed.) xxxviii. 202 She has been doing a topping good job.
Derivatives
ˈtoppingness n. the fact or quality of being topping.
ΚΠ
1794 Fair Methodist I. 124 The toppingness of the father, the warmth of the daughter, and the elegance of the house, which Florimond had from appearances misconstrued.
2016 www.mumsnet.com 25 Aug. (accessed 30 Nov. 2021) Don't forget to teach your DS to say ‘Gruss Gott!’ and to rhapsodise about the toppingness of sleeping in one's clothes in straw in your shepherds' hut!
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2022).
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n.1c1400
n.21743n.31825adj.adv.1616