[Vocabulary] Can you top this whopper?

[wotcha]

"Can you top this whopper?"


What does top mean in this sentence?

???

 

[emsr2d2]

"Can you top this whopper?"


What does top mean in this sentence?
[STRIKE]
???[/STRIKE]

As always, without context, we can't be completely sure but it probably means "beat".

Imagine two people have been fishing. One of them catches a very large fish and he shows it to his friend, saying "Look what I caught! Can you top this whopper?" meaning "Look at the size of the fish I caught. Can you show me a bigger fish that you caught?" In that context, the person could also just say "Can you top this?" as he shows the huge fish.

 

[wotcha]

You are totally right. Actually 'whopper' in this sentence refers to 'exaggerated tales'.

 

[emsr2d2]

You are totally right. Actually 'whopper' in this sentence refers to 'exaggerated tales'.

A "whopper" is also a name for a very big lie. "I told an absolute whopper to my boss today so I could leave early."