At vs Atop - What's the difference?
at | atop |
In or very near a particular place.
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*:“My Continental prominence is improving,” I commented dryly. ¶ Von Lindowe cut at a furze bush with his silver-mounted rattan. ¶ “Quite so,” he said as dryly, his hand at his mustache. “I may say if your intentions were known your life would not be worth a curse.”
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*:(b ) sporophyte with foot reduced, the entire sporophyte enveloped by the calyptra, which is ± stipitate at the base.
(indicating time) Simultaneous, during.
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*{{quote-news, year=2012, date=April 19, author=Josh Halliday, work=the Guardian
, title= In the direction of (often in an unfocused or uncaring manner).
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*
*:“My Continental prominence is improving,” I commented dryly. ¶ Von Lindowe cut at a furze bush with his silver-mounted rattan. ¶ “Quite so,” he said as dryly, his hand at his mustache. “I may say if your intentions were known your life would not be worth a curse.”
Occupied in (activity).
:
:
Because of.
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Holding a given speed or .
:
In a state of.
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bothering, irritating, causing discomfort to
*1995 Keith Wood, quoted in David Hughes, "
*:I think `Jesus, my back is at' me'. Then I get the ball. Off you go for 10 yards and you don't feel a thing. Then you stop and think: `Jesus, it's ' at me again'[.]
*2014 Marian Keyes "
*:He seems to be saying. “Ah, go on, you’re making the other lads feel bad.” But the 4th fella says, “No. Don’t be ‘at’ me. I’m just not in the form right now, I’ll stay where I am, thanks.”
On the top of.
* 1966 , The Minnesota Review , vol. 6, page 242
* 2006 , Dewey Lambdin, The Gun Ketch , page 48
*:"And other things," she echoed, nodding slowly and resting her body a little more atop him again.
* 2014, (Paul Salopek), Blessed. Cursed. Claimed. , National Geographic (December 2014)[http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/pilgrim-roads/salopek-text]
On the top, with "of".
On, to, or at the top.
* 1909 , William Dean Howells, Seven English Cities , Kessinger Publishing 2004, p. 46:
* 1978 , James C. Humes, Speaker's Treasury of Anecdotes About the Famous , Harper & Row 1978, p. 102:
As a symbol at
is .As a preposition atop is
on the top of.As an adverb atop is
on, to, or at the top.at
English
(AT)Preposition
(English prepositions)Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?, passage=Other global taboos, such as sex and suicide, manifest themselves widely online, with websites offering suicide guides and Hot XXX Action seconds away at the click of a button. The UK government will come under pressure to block access to pornographic websites this year when a committee of MPs publishes its report on protecting children online.}}
Wood odds-on to take one against the head", in The Independent (London) 18 January:
Antarctic Diary - Part 2" personal website (January 2014):
Usage notes
* He threw the ball to me — (so I could catch it). * He threw the ball at me — (trying to hit me with it). * He talked to her — (conversationally). * He shouted at her — (aggressively).Statistics
*atop
English
Preposition
(English prepositions)- He sat atop the mountain, waiting for the end of the world.
- A virtue is made out of a necessity, with the child feeling far more atop and master of his oddness, his behavior now deliberate or even clever.
- “Monotheism was born here,” Goren tells me atop a cliff overlooking the sheet of iron-colored water.
Usage notes
"Atop of" was formerly much more commonly used than now.Derived terms
* thereatopSynonyms
* on top * ontop (mainly US)Adverb
(-)- He has a handsome face, still bearded in the midst of a mostly clean-shaving nation, and with the white hairs prevalent on the cheeks and temples; his head is bald atop , though hardly from the uneasiness of wearing a crown.
- The envoy found the French king playing the part of horse while his young son rode atop .
