I came across the phrase "from the top on down" in this sentence,
England is rotting from the top on down! We pledge our revenge on Nottingham Town!
I consulted some dictionaries but could only find "from top to bottom" and "from the top-down". Does the phrase "from the top on down" have the same meaning as "from top to bottom" or the same meaning as "from the top-down"?
Best Answer
Your quote by the "Merry Men" in The Adventures of Robin Hood (Scene 2)
has the same meaning as
meaning the entire structure or being.
NB: One also notes that "bottom" does not rhyme very well with "town", and by phrasing this way the rhythm is kept consistent.
I originally thought this might have been a Leicester City football chant, but Nottingham City FC is commonly known as Forest.