Meanings
plural bell-toppers
- Australiadatedtop hat; chimney-pot hat
There was a surprise awaiting them at Tooraloo, for the moment they arrived two persons in bell-toppers and long-tailed coats ran out from behind a fence[.]
1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, page 1321 more example
“Now, you long ghost with the bell-topper, what did you pay for that coat? It's a Houndsditcher!” The sally was greeted with laughter from all who heard it.
1903, William Craig (of Invercargill, N.Z.), My Adventures on the Australian Goldfields (page 11)
Origin
From bell, referring to its shape + topper (“top hat”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
bell-topper. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bell-topper
“bell-topper.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bell-topper. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bell-topper,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bell-topper.
Source: bell-topper on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.