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Glite Dictionary
whipping top

whipping top

8.0
A toy top you make spin by hitting it with a short cord
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : peonza
  • Children competed to see whose whipping top would spin the longest.

Examples

  • The old-fashioned whipping top requires skill to keep it moving with the whip.

  • He spent the afternoon spinning his whipping top in the playground.

  • The children played with a whipping top in the park.

  • Can you show me how to use a whipping top?

  • The children cheered as they took turns spinning their whipping top in the sunny backyard.

  • He carefully demonstrated how to make the whipping top spin quickly using a whip.

  • After a few practice rounds, she figured out how to make her whipping top spin longer than her friends'.

Synonyms

whip top
vswhipping top
9.1

A toy that spins when you hit it with a string

uses a cord as the striking tool rather than a lash
whirligig
vswhipping top
8.6

A small toy that spins quickly on a point like a top

is set spinning by striking with a cord rather than by resting on a point

Surface Forms

whipping top singular
whipping tops plural

Morphology

whip + top

The noun is directly compositional: a 'whipping top' is a top that is whipped (struck or spun) to make it turn. Its meaning follows transparently from 'whip' (to strike in a whip-like motion) + 'top' (a spinning toy), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the referent.

Etymology

Whipping top comes from an old toy that children spin by hitting it with a small whip or cord. The whipping part shows how people hit the top to make it turn, so the name simply means 'a top spun with a whip'.