on top of that idiom

Yes, "on top of that" (note that the idiom is "on top of that", not "on the top of that") is universally negative.

Q: How is John doing on that assignment?
A: He is on top of it.

This is an idiom meaning that John is doing very well on the assignment.

Ah, yes - "X is on top of it" means "X has it under control" or "X is doing well at it".

However, "X happened, and on top of that, Y happened" is always negative.

Usain Bolt won the gold medal in the 100 meter dash, and on top of that, he beat the world record.

AlpheccaStars Usain Bolt won the gold medal in the 100 meter dash, and on top of that, he beat the world record.

I'm getting mixed messages here. The sentence above isn't exactly negative.

Can on top of that be used as a just an additional statement or doesn't it have to be a negative statement?

Thanks!

I'd startle to see it used positively; The Free Dictionary agrees: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/on+top+of+that .

If I wanted to connote positivity, I'd use "the icing on the cake".

It could be regional differences.

CliveHi,I agree with A-Stars.Clive

I'm a bit perplexed here, because I've checked everywhere and most of the definitions are negative.

Thanks!

PreciousJonesI'm a bit perplexed here, because I've checked everywhere and most of the definitions are negative.

The phrase is usually (by usually, I mean from my experience) used negatively, but as AlpheccaStars illustrated, this is not always the case. Put simply, it just means in addition to that; additionally.