Meaning of tippe top | Babel Free

Definitions

A spinning top of a shape with counterintuitive behaviour: generally mushroom-like or spherical, with a rounded head and a short stem; when spun head-down on a smooth, flat surface, it inverts its attitude so that it spins head-up, on the tip of the stem, until it loses momentum and falls over.

Equivalents

Examples

“On a flat surface, the tippe top will rest⟳ stably with its stem up. However, spun fast enough on its blunt end⟳, the tippe top momentarily defies gravity, inverts, and spins on its stem until dissipation causes it to slow down and then fall⟳ over.”

CEFR level