Idiom
over the top
Meaning
Beyond normal, expected, or reasonable limits; outrageous.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“His reaction to the small mistake was over the top.”
“The party decorations were a bit over the top, with glitter and lights everywhere.”
“The director's over the top performance distracted the audience from the subtle themes of the play.”
Examples
simple
“His reaction to the small mistake was over the top.”
contextual
“The party decorations were a bit over the top, with glitter and lights everywhere.”
complex
“The director's over the top performance distracted the audience from the subtle themes of the play.”
Origin
The adverbial form appears c. 1915 in reference to the infantry tactics of World War I, specifically the act of climbing out of a trench to begin an assault. The adjectival usage followed c. 1935.
Key words
Related idioms
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