Modul 4: Idiom 21: Over the Top

Over the Top

Hi. Let’s take a look at the Idiom, ‘Over the Top.’ What does this mean, to be over the top?

If something is ‘over the top’ it means that it is too much or that it’s overdone. Maybe you wash your car twice a day even when you haven’t driven in it, that’s a bit over the top. You can also use the expression to tell someone when they are being overly dramatic about something or maybe they just talk too much! You can describe people as ‘over the top.’  “She’s very loud, isn’t she; a bit over the top if you ask me.” 

So what is the origin of this idiom?

During the First World War, trenches – long, deep holes – were dug by soldiers on the battlefields. The trenches were huge, tunnel-like ditches, lined with heavy sandbags. They were used as passageways for soldiers to travel across the fields, a place for them to eat and sleep in, and most importantly, they provided shelter – protection – from the enemy soldiers. When the soldiers had to crawl up onto the battlefield to fight, they had to go over the top of the trenches to do so. When a soldier went ‘over the top’ they were climbing onto the battlefield where all the masses of fighting was going on. 

 Take a look at our illustration.

Here we can see two soldiers standing in a trench. They are below the firing of the guns and so they are currently safe. The sergeant is yelling at the soldier to go over the top of the trench wall to where the fighting is. There are an extreme amount of bullets above him. The situation really is over the top: there are a lot of things going on outside the trench.

 Here are some examples before we go to the concept questions…

“Stop being so over the top Darren. It’s just a fly, not a wasp.”

“You don’t need to have three doughnuts for lunch, that’s just over the top.”

“She gets a haircut once a week, that’s over the top, don’t you think?”

“Did you see that footballer dive on the floor and pretend – play or act – to be hurt when he was slightly bumped into – you know, accidentally pushed a little? He was so over the top.”

“I know it’s over the top, but I always check the street six times to see if a car is coming before I cross it.”

 Great.

 Let’s look at some situations and check your understanding: 

1. “That’s terrible!” said Sean when he heard his best friend’s company had closed down, so 200 people had lost their jobs.  Was Sean’s response over the top?  No. It was an appropriate response for such sad news.  
2. It was Freddie’s first birthday, so his mum hired a limousine to take him to the restaurant for his birthday meal. Was Freddie’s mum going over the top?  Yes.  Freddie was far too young for a ride in a limousine.
3. Katie liked to have two sugars in her coffee.  Is Katie going over the top with the amount of sugar she is using?  Not really.  Whilst two sugars would make the coffee too sweet for many people, it’s not unusual for some people to have two sugars.
4. “My car’s ruined – totally damaged!” cried Sandra when she saw the small scratch on her car’s paintwork.  Was Sandra going over the top?  Yes.  Whilst it’s upsetting to see your car scratched it is easy to get it repaired.
5. Lynette’s son wouldn’t eat his vegetables so she called the police.  Were Lynette’s actions over the top?  Yes.  Refusing to eat your vegetables is not a major crime! 

Great. Now go and practise. See you soon.