Meaning
What does Top of the Morning to You mean?
Top of the Morning to You refers to a popular archaic greeting, closely associated with British and Irish people in the United States, as it is mostly used in humorous contexts, or St. Patrick’s Day.
“Top of the Morning to You” is said to be connected to the cream rising to the top of the milk, which is considered to be the finest part of the cream, also known as Cream of the Crop.
Origin
What's the origin of Top of the Morning to You?
One of the earliest cases of the expression comes from the 1796 novel of George Walker, titled Theodore Cyphon, or The Benevolent Jew.
“Top of the Morning to You” was a popular greeting in 19th century Britain, not solely among the Irish but all inhabitants of the Isles.
It was most likely brought to the United States during the 1840’s and ‘50’s during the Irish Potato Famine, when hundreds of thousands of Irishmen immigrated to the US.
Spread & Usage
How did Top of the Morning to You spread?
“Top of the Morning to You” turned into a widespread Irishism, and despite its decline in the British Isles, its popularity was kept alive in America, where in every March on St. Patrick’s Day, it was and is used as a festive greeting.
“Top of the Morning” also became a popular meme following the release of Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar’s range brothers on September 10th, 2021.
The song features Kendrick saying the greeting multiple times during his verse, which became a popular song in various humorous TikTok videos in the following months.
External resources
- Linguaholic.com – “Top of the morning to you!”