tops-and-bottoms

English

Noun

tops-and-bottoms pl (plural only)

1. (archaic) Small rolls of dough, baked, cut in half, and browned in an oven. In 19th century Britain they were used as food for children.
   • c. 1843, Thomas Hood, Miss Kilmansegg and her Precious Egg:

     'Tis said her tops-and-bottoms were gilt.

References

• “tops-and-bottoms”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.