Over the Top

Idioms are expressions the meanings of which are different from the meanings of the words that make up those expressions. Some make sense the first time you hear them, but others don't. Where does the expression "over the top" fit?

"Over the top" basically means "beyond what I expected."

Imagine that you and a friend decide to make and wear costumes to a Halloween party. You find some old clothes and put on some scary makeup so you'll look like a zombie. Your costume looks good, but not great. When you're friend sees you in your costume, she starts screaming in fear and runs away. You look at another friend and say, "Wow, that was over the top," referring to her reaction.

When she finally comes back, you see that she had dressed as the former French queen Marie Antoinette. She's wearing a long, beautiful dress with pearls and flowers attached to it. She had a tiara and a scepter with her. She had done her hair in an elaborate hairstyle that must have taken hours. She is pulling a guillotine behind her like she's getting ready to have her head chopped off, too. Clearly, she had made an extraordinary effort to create an amazing costume. You look at her and say, "wow, that costume is over the top."

A similar phrase is "off the hook," which also means "exceeding expectations," or perhaps "cool," but this phase had a different meaning to an older generation. It can also be used to express the idea that someone is being released from guilt or some other obligation. Imagine someone asks you to give them a ride to an appointment, and you agree, but maybe you don't really want to take her. She finds out later that another friend is already planning to drive there. When the friend sees you later, she says, "By the way, you're off the hook. Jamie can give me a ride."

Now ya know!