van top tot teen
Dutch
editAlternative forms
edit- van top tot toon (archaic, dialectal)
- van kop tot teen (Belgium)
Etymology
editLiterally in current usage, “from top to toe”, but historically the meaning was “from top to toes”.[1]
Pronunciation
editPrepositional phrase
edit- head to toe, head to foot, from top to bottom
- Hij zat van top tot teen onder de modder.
- He was covered in mud from head to toe.
References
edit- ^ 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".