Too-too, adv. and adj. (old literary: now colloquial).—An intensive form of too: over-and-above, more than enough, very good, extreme, utter; spec. (modern but obsolete) of exaggerated æstheticism. [Halliwell: It is often nothing more in sense than a strengthening of the word too, but too-too was regarded by our early writers as a single word.]
1533. Old Play, quoted by Oliphant [Dodsley, Old Plays (Hazlitt), i. 423]. It is too too, the pastime.
1587. Holinshed, Hist. Ireland, F6b, 2b. Adding further, that he was too too evill, that coulde not speake well.
1590. Spenser, Fairy Queen, iii. iv. 26. A lesson too too hard for living clay.
1596. Shakspeare, Hamlet, i. 2. 129. Oh that this too too solid flesh would melt.
1605. Sylvester, Du Bartas, i. 6. Oh too-too happy!
1618. Taylor, Pennilesse Pilgrimage [Notes and Queries, 7 S. x. 498]. Their loues they on the tenter-hookes did racke, Rost, boyl'd, bak'd, too-too much white, claret, sacke.
1630. Jonson, New Inn, ii. 2. That joy is too-too narrow Would bound a love so infinite as mine.
1634. Ford, Perkin Warbeck, ii. 2. The rigour and extremity of law Is sometimes too-too bitter.
1891. Notes and Queries, 7 S. xi. 30. Let the exclusive too-too æsthetes tolerate the remark that music and painting do not exist for them . . . [alone]. . . .
Tootsie, subs. (common).—A
foot: spec. of women and
children.
1897. Marshall, Pomes, 46. Towards her two tootsies . . . she gazed with a feeling of fear. . . . But her hose were well veiled from man's sight.
Top, subs. (old).—1. The head
(see verb); (2) the hair, the
thatch (q.v.); also top-dressing:
spec. the forelock or top-knot.
Whence topper = (1)
a violent blow on the head, and
(2) = a hat; top-lights = the
eyes. Also phrases: tail over
top = headlong; top over tail
= topsy-turvy (q.v.) rashly,
hastily; from top to toe =
wholly; top and tail = everything.
c. 1360. William of Palerne [E.E.T.S.], 2776. Sche top ouer tail tombled ouer the hacches.
1373. Chaucer, House of Fame, 880. Thow shalt . . . with thyn eres heren wel Top and tail, and every del. Ibid. (1383), Cant. Tales, 'Gen. Prol.,' 590. His top was dokked lyk a preest beforn.
c. 1400. Chester Plays, ii. 176. Thou take hym by the toppe and I by the tayle.
[?]. MS. Cantab., Ff. ii. 38, f. 76. But syr James had soche a chopp, That he wyste not be my toppe, Whethur hyt were day or nyght.
[?]. Political Poems (Furnivall), 95. Be-hold me how that I ame tourne, For I ame rente fro tope to to.
15[?]. Turnament of Totenham, xv. Ilke man went bakward Toppe ouer tayle.
1544. Ascham, Toxoph. [Arber], 47. To tumble ouer and ouer, to toppe ouer tayle . . . may be also holesom for the body.
1605. Shakspeare, Lear, ii. 4. 165. All the starred vengeance of heaven fall On her ingrateful top.
1706. Ward, Wooden World, 67. It costs him many a Rub with his Paws before he can make his Top lights to shine clearly.
1834. Ainsworth, Rookwood. Vile Jem, with neat left-handed stopper, Straight threatened Tommy with a topper.
1874. J. B. Stephens, Poems, 'To a Black Gin.' The coarseness of thy tresses is distressing, With grease and raddle firmly coalescing, I cannot laud thy system of top-dressing.
