van top tot teen

Dutch

Alternative forms
  • van top tot toon (archaic, dialectal)

Etymology

Literally in current usage, “from top to toe”, but historically the meaning was “from top to toes”.[1]

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /vɑn tɔp tɔt teːn/

Adverb

van top tot teen

  1. head to toe, top to toe
    Hij zat van top tot teen onder de modder.
    He was covered in mud from head to toe.

References
  1. Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; van der Sijs, Nicoline (2003–2009) Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands (in Dutch), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, "teen".
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.