top(1) (iou) and Cavalcanti, Guido (sh)

top(1) (iou)

top noun1 & adjective.
[Late Old English topp = Old Frisian topp tuft, Middle & mod. Dutch top crest, summit, tip, Old & mod. High German zopf plait, tress, Old Norse toppr top, tuft, from Germanic: cf. TIP noun1, TOUPEE.]
A. noun.
I. The highest or uppermost part.
a. The highest or uppermost point or part of a material thing; the upper surface of a thing, esp. a table; in pl., the highest part of a moor, the peaks of a mountain range. LOE.
E. Hemingway The wind blew in the tops of the pine trees. J. Kosinski I climbed to an upper terrace..and then to the very top. R. Pilcher He glanced up..over the top of his spectacles.
b. The highest part of anything, considered as a position in space; the end of something (conventionally) perceived as higher. ME.
Day Lewis Standing at the top of the Garden. A. Christie They had come almost to the top of the path.
The uppermost part of the body; the head, esp. the crown (now only in phrs. below). ME.
B. Emecheta The gravediggers stood..their tops bared.
b. The uppermost branch of a deer's horn. Chiefly in on top. rare. LME.
a. The hair on (the crown of) the head; a bird's crest; an animal's forelock. obsolete exc. Scot. & north. ME.
b. A tuft of hair, wool, fibre, etc.; esp. the portion of flax or tow put on the distaff. obsolete exc. Scot. & north. ME.
c. A bundle of combed wool prepared for spinning. Usu. in pl. M17.
sing. & in pl. The smaller branches and twigs of a tree as distinct from the timber. LME.
The (slender) end of a growing part; transf. the narrower end of anything tapering, the tip. L15.
sing. & (usu.) in pl. The leaves, stems, and shoots of a plant; esp. those of a vegetable grown for its root. Cf. turnip-tops s.v. TURNIP. E16.
The inside of a roof; a ceiling. Now dial. E18.
techn.
a. The part of a cut gem above the girdle. E18.
b. Bookbinding. The upper edge or edges of a page or pages in a book. M19.
A circus tent. Chiefly in big top s.v. BIG adjective. M20.
II. A part placed on or fitted to something, and forming the upper part or covering.
Nautical. A platform round the head of each of the lower masts of a ship, serving to extend the upper rigging or carry guns etc. Also (now rare exc. attrib.), a topsail; a topmast. LME.
Orig., the upper part of the leg of a high boot, esp. when widened out or turned over. Now, (esp. on hunting-boots) a broad band of a different colour or material simulating this; in pl., top-boots. Also, the upper part of a shoe. E17.
The roof, esp. a folding one, of a carriage, pram, or car. E17.
An ear-stud, esp. one also having a drop. Now rare. E18.
A metal button with a gilt or silvered face. Now rare. M19.
The stopper of a bottle; the lid or cover of a jar, tin, etc., esp. the foil cover of a milk bottle. M19.
A. Sillitoe Screwing the top back on the flask. Daily Mirror The retail price of..silver top milk goes up.
A (woman's) garment for the upper body (as a blouse, jumper, etc.), to be worn with a separate garment for the lower body. E20.
Jackie That top..would go perfectly with my new skirt.
III. The first in time, order, or precedence.
The earliest part of a period of time; the beginning. Now rare. LME.
The highest pitch or degree; the height. M16.
A. Powell He was not feeling at the top of his form.
b. A thing which is the highest example of a class of things. L16.
G. Hickes The episcopate is the top of all the honours among men.
c. Audio. High-frequency sound, esp. as regards its characteristics in sound reproduction. M20.
The highest place or rank; a person or thing occupying this. E17.
E. Roosevelt Often businessmen go into government with the idea that they will be men at the top. J. F. Hendry He was top of his class. Z. Tomin Whatever is happening at the top, it is the citizens who are the..creators of..society.
b. The highest gear in a vehicle. E20.
c. Bridge. A high card; the highest card in a suit in a player's hand. E20.
The highest point in a progression; the peak. Now arch. & dial. M17.
a. The best or choicest part. Now chiefly in the top of the morning (Anglo-Irish): a morning greeting. M17.
b. In pl. The best sheep or lambs in a flock (now dial.); colloq. (pred.) the best person or thing. M19.
Lydney (Glos.) Observer Pubs were..voted tops for..service and friendly atmosphere. U. Holden You're wonderful, you're the tops.
Particle Physics. (A quark carrying) a possible sixth quark flavour, associated with a charge of + 2 / 3. Also called truth. (Symbol t.) L20.
IV. [from TOP verb1.]
a. top-up, an addition, something serving to top up something (esp. a partly full glass). L19.
b. Golf. A stroke in which the ball is (usu. inadvertently) struck above the centre. L19.
c. top-off, an informer. Austral. slang. M20.
Topspin. E20.
Phrases: at the top in a position of power or authority; in the highest rank of a profession etc. (cf. at the top of the tree s.v. TREE noun). at the top of one's voice: see VOICE noun. at tops = TOPS adverb. big top: see BIG adjective. blow one's top: see BLOW verb1. brown top: see BROWN adjective. bunchy top: see BUNCHY 2. double top: see DOUBLE adjective & adverb. from top to bottom, from top to toe from head to foot; in every part; completely, throughout. lop and top: see LOP noun2 1. off the top of one's head: see HEAD noun. on a person's top (now Scot.) attacking a person (physically or verbally). on top (a) on or in the top of something; (b) in a superior position; supreme, dominant; (c) on the upper part of the head. on top of (a) in addition to; (b) in very close proximity to; (c) in control of; (d) get on top of, overwhelm, depress; on top of the world (colloq.), exuberant, elated. over the top (a) (chiefly Hist.) over the parapet of a trench (and into battle); (b) into a final or decisive state; (c) beyond reasonable limits, too far. thin on top: see THIN adjective. top of the milk the cream that rises to the top of milk when left undisturbed. top of the pops: see POP noun6 1. up top: see UP adverb2 & adjective2.
b. adjective.
At, on, or forming the top; highest in position, degree, or importance. Earlier in TOPSAIL. L15.
A. Lee I arranged myself on my lumpy top bunk. She Top prize for ingenuity must go to the French. Sun Pianos are big business. The repair bill for a top make can be 7,000.
Having or fitted with a top. M19.
W. Whitman Queer old one-horse top-wagons.
Special collocations & comb.: top banana: see BANANA 3. top board Chess the principal player of a team in a match or tournament. top-boot (chiefly Hist.) a long boot, esp. one with a top of a different material or colour. top brass: see BRASS noun 4. topcoat (a) an overcoat, a greatcoat, an outer coat; (b) a layer of paint etc. applied after the undercoat. top copy the original typescript of a document, of which the undersheets are carbon copies. top-cut reduction in the strength of the higher-frequency components of an Audio signal. top cutter US Military slang = top sergeant below. top cymbal Music a ride cymbal. top dead centre Mechanics the point at which a piston is about to change from an upward to a downward stroke. top deck the upper deck of a ship. top dog colloq. a victor, a master. top dollar N. Amer. colloq. a high or the highest price. top-down adjective (a) Computing working from the top or root of a tree towards the branches (with or without backtracking); (b) proceeding from the top downwards; hierarchical. top-drawer (a) colloq. upper-class; of high social standing; (b) of the highest level. top-dress verb trans. apply manure or fertilizer on the top of (land or a crop) instead of ploughing it in. top-dressing (a) the application of manure or fertilizer on the top of land or a crop (aerial top-dressing: see AERIAL adjective 4c); (b) the manure or fertilizer so applied; (c) fig. a superficial show. top edge (a) Bookbinding = sense A.8b above; (b) Cricket the upper edge of a bat as held by the batsman; a shot hit off this edge. top-edge verb trans. & intrans. (Cricket) unintentionally hit (the ball) with the top edge. Top End Austral. colloq. (the northern part of) the Northern Territory. top fermentation Brewing a process in which the yeast rises to the surface during fermentation, characteristic of British-type beers. top-fermented adjective (Brewing) designating a beer brewed by top fermentation. top-flight adjective in the highest rank of achievement (cf. in the top flight s.v. FLIGHT noun1). top fruit fruit growing on trees as distinct from on bushes or the ground. top-full adjective (now rare) full to the top; brim-full. top gear the highest gear in a motor vehicle or bicycle. top-graft verb trans. = top-work below. top-hamper an encumbrance on top, esp. (Nautical) the upper sails and rigging of a ship. top hand N. Amer. colloq. an experienced or proficient ranch-worker. top hat a man's silk hat with a high cylindrical crown, worn esp. on formal occasions; transf. an important person. top-hat adjective shaped like a top hat. top-hatted adjective wearing a top-hat. top-hole adjective (colloq.) first-rate, excellent. top kick US Military slang = top sergeant below. top-land high or elevated land. top-level adjective of the highest level of importance, prestige, etc. top light a skylight. top-lighted, top-lit adjectives lit by a skylight. top line (a) in cattle, the profile line of an animal's back from the centre of the shoulders to the end of the hip-bones; (b) (freq. attrib.) the head item on a bill of Entertainment; the headline of a newspaper; on the top line (slang), at the peak of readiness, alertness, perfection, etc. top-liner an important or famous person or thing, a star. top-lit: see top-lighted above. top-loader (a) N. Amer. a lumberjack who works at the top of a load of logs; (b) a machine, esp. a washing machine, which is loaded from the top (instead of from the front). topman (a) = top-sawyer below; (b) Nautical a sailor on duty in a top, attending to the upper sails or acting as a marksman; (c) a miner working at the top of a shaft; (d) slang a demolition worker who demolishes walls etc. from the top. topminnow = KILLIFISH. top notch adjective (colloq.) first-rate, excellent. top-notcher colloq. a first-rate person or thing. top note (a) the highest note in a singer's range; (b) in a perfume, those scents which are most dominant, or which are the first to be smelt. top onion a form of tree onion, bearing small bulbs as well as flowers in the inflorescence. top people high-ranking or influential people. top-sawyer (a) a sawyer who works the upper handle of a pit-saw; (b) fig. a person who holds a superior position; a distinguished person. top-score verb intrans. (Cricket) make the greatest number of runs of an innings. top scorer (esp. Sport) a person who achieves the greatest score. top secret adjectival phr. of the highest secrecy. top sergeant US Military slang first sergeant. topset adjective (Geology) designating a near-horizontal bed or stratum deposited on top of Other beds in a delta. top-slicing (a) Mining a method of working in which successive slices are mined from the top of an ore body downwards, the material overlying each slice being made to cave in after its completion; (b) a method of assessing tax chargeable on a lump sum by averaging it out over the years for which it has accrued and charging tax accordingly. topsman (a) Scot. & north. a head man; esp. the chief drover in charge of a herd of cattle on the road; (b) arch. slang a hangman. topsoil noun & verb (a) noun the surface layer of soil (opp. SUBSOIL); (b) verb trans. remove the topsoil from; dress with topsoil. topspin a fast forward spinning motion imparted to a ball when throwing or hitting it. top-spinner Cricket a ball delivered with topspin. top-stitch verb trans. make a row of stitches on (the right side of) a garment etc., esp. for decoration. top-stitching stitching (esp. for decoration) on the right side of a garment etc. top-stone a stone placed on or forming the top of something; a capstone. top table at a formal dinner, the table at which the chief guests are placed. top ten, top twenty, etc., the first ten, twenty, etc., recordings in the popular Music charts. top-timber any of the uppermost timbers in the side of a ship. top view = plan view s.v. PLAN noun. top-water noun & adjective (a) noun water percolating through the roof of a mine; (b) adjective (of a bait) that floats on top of the water. top-weight the heaviest weight carried by a horse in a race; a horse carrying this weight. top-work verb trans. replace part or all of the top of (a fruit tree) by grafts of another variety. top yeast a yeast that rises to the surface during fermentation.
topness noun (a) rare the state of being (at the) top; pre-eminence; (b) Particle Physics the property attributed to the top quark (see TOP noun1 22): M20.

Cavalcanti, Guido (sh)

born §ã 1255, Florence
died Aug. 27/28, 1300, Florence

Italian poet.

Born into an influential Florentine family, he studied with the philosopher and scholar Brunetto Latini, who had earlier taught Dante, Cavalcanti's close friend. After Dante, he is considered the greatest Italian poet and personality in 13th-century Italian literature. He left about 50 poems, many addressed to two women and on the theme of love. His language demonstrates the grace and directness of the dolce stil nuovo ("sweet new style"). Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Ezra Pound translated his poems.

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