uppern.1
/ˈʌpə/, U.S. /ˈəpər/ 1. attributive.1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Upper-machines,..those for cutting out or preparing the uppers of boots or shoes.
a. That part of a boot or shoe above the sole and welt. Usually plural.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > upper
upper leather1528
upper1789
1789 G. Parker Life's Painter v. 36 If the top and leg of a jack-boot were joined to a dog-skin upper and a buff sole.
1845 J. Coulter Adventures Pacific ix. 112 My shoes were..only held together by passing straps of goat-skin under the soles, over the uppers.
1862 Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit. II. No. 4769 Grained leather; machine-closed uppers.
1880 Times 21 Sept. 4/4 Forcing the needle through the outer sole, the edge of the upper, and the insole.
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b. U.S. A cloth gaiter for wearing above the shoe over the ankle ( Cent. Dict. 1891).
c. In figurative phrase (down) on one's uppers: in poor or reduced circumstances; having hard luck; also formerly to walk (etc.) on one's uppers. colloquial (originally U.S.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > poverty > in impoverished state [phrase]
to the boneOE
to be out at elbow(sa1616
in (also at) low water1785
down on the knuckle-bone1883
(down) on one's uppers1886
on the rocks1889
down and out1901
on the outer1915
the world > action or operation > adversity > in adversity [phrase] > in an evil plight
at (great, etc.) mischiefa1375
on the ragged edge1874
(down) on one's uppers1886
1886 Lantern 8 Sept. 4/3 The Royal Street actors who are walking on their uppers, must mourn..when they..hear of some of the boys spending 200 a week yachting.
1891 Cent. Dict. (at cited word)
1895 A. Roberts & R. Morton Adventures A. Roberts xi. 143 I know two actors who were left, as the term goes, ‘on their uppers’, in a town in the heart of the Midlands.
1899 ‘J. Flynt’ Tramping with Tramps i. v. 117 I's been a moocher, an' now I's shatin' on me uppers.
1901 Munsey's Mag. 25 432/1 The rumor whirled about the Street that Greener was in difficulties. Financial ghouls..said..‘Greener is on his uppers’.
1903 Judy 9 Dec. 577/1 ‘What would you do if you were in my shoes?’ ‘Eh? Oh, then I should be fairly down on my uppers.’
1905 R. Marsh Spoiler of Men xxv. 227 ‘I'm on my uppers... I want money.’ ‘So do we all.’
1918 Blackwood's Mag. May 602/2 We are pretty well down on our uppers as regards transport.
1985 D. Williams Wedding Treasure ii. 31 My guess is the swine's on his uppers... He's going for the ten thousand a year.
2.
a. An upper jaw, dental plate, tooth, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > digestive or excretive organs > digestive organs > mouth > types or spec. teeth > [noun] > upper
upper1878
the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > skull > parts of skull > [noun] > jawbones > upper
cheekOE
maxilla?a1425
superior maxilla1697
maxillary1826
upper1878
1878 C. Hunter Mech. Dentistry 79 In the case of edentulous or nearly edentulous uppers or lowers.
1900 Hutchinson's Arch. Surg. XI. 222 On the backs of both uppers..there are now peculiar changes.
1904 F. P. Dunne in Westm. Gaz. 14 Oct. 1/3 He [sc. a child] has two uppers an' four lowers.
b. elliptical for upper deck, storey, berth, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > railway wagon or carriage > carriage designed to carry passengers > sleeping car > berth in
upper berth1586
upper1938
couchette1969
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > part of vessel above water > [noun] > deck > upper deck
weather-deck1850
tonnage-deck1888
upper1938
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > [noun] > floor or storey > upper floors
first floor1445
plancher1523
first storey1686
piano nobile1715
mezzaninec1720
entresol1726
attic storey1738
upstairs1781
attic1818
second floor1821
third floor1908
upper1968
1938 ‘Giraldus’ Merry Matloe Again 179 Just sit down opposite the hatch and contemplate your new shipmates as, one by one, they troop on the ‘upper’.
1955 F. O' Connor Wise Blood i. 17 The man in the station..had sold him a berth..an upper one... A sign said to get the porter to let you into the uppers.
1968 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 13 Feb. 30/6 (advt.) Well located duplex with extra large upper.
1969 Down Beat 17 Apr. 16/1 Two chartered sleeping cars carried the men across the United States like royalty—and nobody ever had to take an upper.
3. U.S. A log or piece of sawed lumber of superior grade.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > undressed trunk or log > types of
butt log1779
upper1877
stave bolt1878
sinker1884
teak log1889
peeler1935
1877 Lumberman's Gaz. 24 May The finest stock of uppers to be found in the country.
4.
a. Public School slang. A pupil of the upper school.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > learning > learner > one attending school > [noun] > senior pupil
Bibler1883
upper1929
1929 J. Buchan Courts of Morning ii. viii. 379 The Eton Beagles in the fields beyond Slough, and himself and Lariarty, both newly become uppers, struggling desperately to keep up with the field.
1937 G. Frankau More of Us xi. 121 The tortures of a miserable Upper Pi-jawed beyond the sacred hour of supper.
b. colloquial. An upper-class person.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > aristocracy or upper class > [noun]
optimacy1579
aristocracy1651
great world1699
peerage1725
well-connected1788
governing class1795
patriciate1795
well-connected1831
caste1842
(the) salt of the earth1842
the leisured class(es1848
japonicadom1851
countyocracy1859
masterclass1861
proprietariat1872
four hundred1888
the Establishment1923
gratin1934
power élite1942
U1954
upper1955
topside1958
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > aristocracy or upper class > [noun] > member of
optimate1574
gentle blood1575
patrician1631
grandlinga1637
(man, woman) of fashion1702
Brahmani1704
ruffled shirt1754
aristocrat1789
thoroughbred1817
Brahmin1823
big bug1826
ruffle shirt1830
ruffle-shirter1842
blue blood1850
aristo1864
upper1955
1955 T. H. Pear Eng. Social Differences iii. 90 While many people use ‘person’ indiscriminately, some ‘uppers’ employ it chiefly in a derogatory sense.
1967 Listener 21 Dec. 802/1 If a man spoke rather loudly..keeping his vowels open, then he was an Upper. If he attempted this and just failed, then he was a Middle. If..his voice carried the flavour of the area in which he was born, then he was a Lower.
1968 Economist 27 Apr. p. v/1 The genuine uppers' genuine feeling of superiority.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
uppern.2
/ˈʌpə/, U.S. /ˈəpər/ slang (originally U.S.).
1. A drug (esp. an amphetamine), often in the form of a pill, which has a stimulant or euphoric effect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > an intoxicating drug > [noun] > stimulant drug(s)
sweets1961
high1962
uppie1966
upper1968
1968 Current Slang (Univ. S. Dakota) 3 ii. 50 Upper, type of drug that makes you feel active. Amphetamine is a commonly used stimulant of this kind.
1969 J. Fabian & J. Byrne Groupie (1970) xix. 133 I wasn't used to so many uppers all at once.
1976 ‘R. Rostand’ D'Artagnan Signature vii. 45 The trained-down leanness..likely came from epsom salts and uppers.
1981 ‘D. Shannon’ Murder most Strange ii. 52 I want all your pills, man, all the uppers and downers you got.
2. transferred and figurative.
ΚΠ
1973 Time 1 Jan. k2 It certainly is a relief to know that State 2 is an upper; but by that time, who cares?
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 27 Nov. ii. 22/3 Shorty's alchemy with rum and other potions produces something called a Goombay Smash that is a definite upper.
1977 Time 18 Apr. 45/2 Singing is a real upper. It makes me feel dizzy and energetic.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
upperadj.
Comparative of up adj., and signifying ‘higher’, ‘over’, ‘loftier’, ‘top’ (in contrast to lower, nether, under). In some senses replacing earlier uver, over adj.
I. Senses relating to physical location.
1. figurative.1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. 166 To make him yet more bold, he had the upper ground of the heire.figurative.1647 J. Trapp Comm. Epist. & Rev. (2 Cor. v. 1) In the wonderful frame of man's body the bones are the timber work, the head the upper-lodging.1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) 304 He..must have Brains..as well as Eyes in his Head. A man that has that Furniture in his upper Story, will discover [etc.].1796 Grose's Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue (ed. 3) Garret, or Upper Story, the head. His garret, or upper story, is empty, or unfurnished; i.e. he has no brains, he is a fool.1870 E. C. Brewer Dict. Phrase & Fable 924/1 ‘Ill-furnished in the upper story’; a head without brains.1877 F. Ross et al. Gloss. Words Holderness 152/1 He's a bit wake (weak) iv his upper-garret.in combination.1697 J. Dryden Ded. Æneis in tr. Virgil Wks. sig. e3v Our Upper-Gallery Audience in a Play-House.
a. Occupying, comprising or consisting of, rising or more elevated ground (and usually further in the interior). Frequently in proper names of districts, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > [adjective]
overOE
upa1400
uppera1400
high?a1425
uplandsa1525
uplandish1551
highland1595
upland1610
high country1612
uphill1613
Highlandish1632
uplying1877
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > a land or country > part of country or district > [adjective] > in high position
superiora1393
uppera1400
high?a1425
a1400 K. Alis. (Laud) 5691 Þe kyng þennes went forþ..in to ynde in þe norþ, Þat is ycleped..þe vpper ynde.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts xix. 1 Paul passed thorow the vpper costes and cam to Ephesus.
1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales xii. vii. 163 About the same time vpper Germanie quaked with feare.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) v. i. 3 You said the Enemy would..keepe the Hilles and vpper Regions. View more context for this quotation
a1660 Aphorismical Discov. in J. T. Gilbert Contemp. Hist. Ireland (1879) I. 160 Either to Vper Ormond or the countie of Clare.
a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) 219 If Inundations prevailed in Greece and those upper Countries, Egypt..could not easily escape them.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Nimbis The Nimbis is seen on the Medals..even of the upper Empire.
1791 King George III in Ann. Reg., St. Papers 124* His majesty thinks..that..his province of Quebec..should be divided into two separate provinces, to be called the province of Upper Canada, and the province of Lower Canada.
1849 E. B. Eastwick Dry Leaves 22 My vessel being an Upper Sindh boat.
1863 C. Lyell Geol. Evid. Antiq. Man 43 For the river to bring down from the upper country so large a quantity of earthy matter.
1864 G. V. Irving & A. Murray (title) The Upper Ward of Lanarkshire described and delineated.
b. Of peoples: Occupying a higher or more inland district.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabiting a type of place > [adjective] > inhabiting high land
uplandsc1330
uplandisha1387
upa1400
highland1595
mountain people1596
mountainous1613
upper1617
upland1622
hilly1632
1617 Moryson in C. L. Falkiner Illustr. Irish Hist. (1904) 215 The Iberni, called the upper Irish, inhabiting about Beer-haven and Baltimore.
1791 Encycl. Brit. (Dublin ed.) V. 484/1 The Lower and Upper Cossacks,..and a part of the Don Cossacks.
c. Situated in, located on, a higher or loftier position, high ground, etc.; more elevated or lofty; higher in altitude.Frequently in the proper names of hamlets, villages, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > [adjective] > in higher position
overeOE
ovewardeOE
higherOE
overmorec1350
overhighera1382
overerc1400
upper1467
superior1632
overriding1883
1467 Rolls of Parl. V. 586/2 Landes and Tenementes in Netherburneham, Upperburneham, West Wode.
1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) xxxii. 159 After this, dame Correccion..first..led me to the upper ward.
1611 Bible (King James) Josh. xv. 19 He gaue her the vpper springs, and the nether springs. View more context for this quotation
1688 G. Miege Great French Dict. ii. sig. Ffff2/3 The Upper Region of the Air.
1708 I. Watts Poems (1743) ii. 160 Around the golden Streets they rove, And bless the Mansions of the upper Skies.
1778 Encycl. Brit. III. 1604/2 The bason [of the lock] being filled with water by an upper sluice to the level of the waters above, a vessel may ascend thro' the upper gate.
1778 Encycl. Brit. III. 1605/1 So that the water in the lock may rise to a level with the water in the upper canal.
1796 F. Burney Camilla V. x. iii. 296 Indiana..thought herself in the upper regions, where happiness..consisted of perpetual admiration.
a1822 P. B. Shelley Peter Bell III ii, in Poet. Wks. (?1840) 239/1 Each had an upper stream of thought.
1857 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 13 Nov. in Eng. Notebks. (1997) II. vii. 419 Those misty upper-depths seemed almost to be hung with clouds.
1862 J. Brown Minchmoor (1864) 11 You can get a glimpse of the upper woods of Abbotsford.
1878 A. Geikie Elem. Lessons Physical Geogr. (new ed.) §89 [These] clouds..are driven along by upper currents of air.
1883 Good Words Aug. 529/2 Those plants and animals which live in the ‘upper littoral’.
d. Occupying or forming (part of) the higher or highest portion or division of a building.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > [adjective] > floor or storey > situated on
upper1522
upstairs1787
upstair1814
1522–3 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 317 A chest in the vpper vestry.
1557 Bible (Whittingham) Acts i. 13 They went vp into an vpper chamber.
1597 J. Payne Royall Exchange 15 The thrid sort be retaylers in the vpper shopps.
1611 J. Florio Queen Anna's New World of Words Soprastanza, an vpper-lodging.
1665 in F. P. Verney & M. M. Verney Mem. Verney Family 17th Cent. (1907) II. 247 A lower and an upper chamber.
1764 T. Harmer Observ. Passages Script. iii. § i. 89 An upper-story, which is flat on the top.
1779 Mirror No. 9 Some of the upper boxes were filled with ladies.
1846 A. Marsh Father Darcy II. xiv. 254 He used to lie..upon the floor of his little upper room.
2.
a. With partitive terms, esp. end, part, side.Occasionally hyphenated or as one word, as †upperhand, upperside.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > [noun] > upper part
over-endeOE
over-halfOE
overpartya1387
overparta1398
overera1400
upperside1484
upside1611
1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope v. vii He to whome men purposen to doo somme euylle tourn, syth men holden hym at auauntage, men muste putte hym self at the vpper side of hym.
1490 Caxton's Blanchardyn & Eglantine (1962) xlvi. 178 The noble mayden..ryght fyersli..began to loke vpon hym, drawyng herselfe to the vpperhande of hym.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Biv The vpper part of this foresayd ymage.
1568 (a1500) Freiris Berwik 22 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1930) IV. 262 The tovne..the castell and þe land The he wallis vpoun þe vpper hand.
1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. xi. f. 321 Lines..which ioyne together the angles of the vpper and nether bases.
a1600 in Child Ballads II. 245/2 A grave, a grave,..to put these lovers in; But lay my lady on the upper hand.
1674 R. Hooke Animadversions Machina Cœlestis 52 The upper side thereof must be plained exactly smooth and flat.
1731 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. I. at Melo The Upperside of the Hot~beds where your early Melons..are planted.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Down-hawl A rope..tied to the upper-corner of the sail.
1778 F. Burney Evelina I. xxi. 173 Driving us to the upper end of Piccadilly.
1816 R. Jameson Treat. External Characters Minerals (ed. 2) 204 When..[the crystal] has upon its upper and under parts, faces that alternate with each other.
1869 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Agric. 1868 360 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (40th Congr., 3rd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc.) XV The well and the opening in the upper side [of the road].
1886 J. Barrowman Gloss. Sc. Mining Terms 69 The upper portion of a [coal] seam.
b. Of surfaces. †upperface = superficies n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > surface > [noun]
scalec1400
superfice?c1400
superficie?a1425
overfacec1475
plata1522
superficies1530
situation1558
outface1570
upperface1583
surface1600
superface1633
periphery1664
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > surface > [adjective] > forming the upper surface
upper1583
top1603
1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. B3 Then came there fire..and consumed them all, from the vpper face of the earth.
1594 T. Blundeville Exercises iii. f. 127v Superficies or vpperface, is that which onely hath length and breadth.
1596 Raigne of Edward III sig. B3v Where the vpper turfe of earth doth boast, His..party colloured cost, Delue there. View more context for this quotation
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Rez,..the superficies, or vpper face of a plaine, or leuell peece of ground.
1728 R. Bradley Dict. Botanicum at Marrubium Leaves..smooth and woolly underneath.., but somewhat..rugged on the Upperside.
1733 J. Tull Horse-hoing Husbandry xxv. 193 The upper Surface of the fore End of the Beam.
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. III. 364 Facies,..the upper surface of the head.
1884 E. Coues Key to N. Amer. Birds (ed. 2) 110 The upper and under surfaces of the wing.
3.
a. That forms the higher of a pair of corresponding things or sets. Also occasionally = uppermost. Hence figurative in (crushed, etc.) between the upper and the nether millstones, between two irreconcilable opposing forces. upper-case, Printing (quots. 1683 –): see case n.2 6a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > [adjective] > in higher position > of two things
uppermorec1400
upperc1460
society > communication > printing > printed matter > printed character(s) > [noun] > upper case or capital
upper-case1683
majuscule1825
caps1849
the world > action or operation > difficulty > [phrase] > in a difficult position
between the beetle and the block1590
between two fires1885
(crushed, etc.) between the upper and the nether millstones1902
between a rock and a hard place1921
in the middle1930
c1460Upper crust [see sense 13a].
figurative.1788 New London Mag. 264 One blow well told to the upper tire (the head), tells better than three below.1902 G. B. Shaw Mrs. Warren's Profession Pref. p. xxi Thus am I crushed between the upper millstone of Mr Redford, who thinks me a libertine, and the nether popular critic, who thinks me a prude.1921 L. Strachey Queen Victoria v. 167 His position, crushed between the upper and the nether millstones, grew positively unbearable.1948 F. R. Cowell Cicero & Roman Republic vii. 131 [A] Consul..was a link between Senate and People, responsible to both, an unenviable situation between an upper and a nether millstone.1950 A. Bryant Age of Elegance ii. 40 Not only were the French Armies of Portugal and the North..marching to the fortress's relief, but Soult and Joseph with 60,000 men were threatening Madrid from Valencia. The British were in Danger of being crushed between the upper and nether millstones.in combination.1738 E. Chambers Cycl. (ed. 2) at Letter Printers distinguish their letters into capital, majuscule, initial, or upper case letters,... And minuscule, small, or under case letters.1770 P. Luckombe Conc. Hist. Printing 261 [These letters] are not reckoned..among Upper-case Sorts.1524 in State Papers Henry VIII (1834) II. 117 He shall endevour hymself to cause the Kynges subjectes..to have the upper berdes to be shaven.
1530 Bible (Tyndale) Deut. xxiv. f. xliiv No man shall take the nether or the vpper milstone to pledge.
1533 MS. Rawl. D. 776 f. 157 b The vpper fflowryng of the same wharffe.
1609 Bible (Douay) I. Exod. xii. 22 Sprinkle the uppertransome of the doore therwith.
1609 Bible (Douay) I. Exod. xii. 23 The bloud on the uppersil, and on both the postes.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Espée The vpper boords of a Vine-presse.
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 21 The whole Vpper-Case is divided into Ninety eight square Boxes.
1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. ii. vii. 131 I first mounted to the upper Step of the Ladder.
1833 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Cottage Archit. § 691 The two upper branches or rails of the trunk, or upright piece.
1852 tr. J. J. Seidel Organ & its Constr. 37 A couple of bellows..consist first of an upper and under board.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 708 Upper masts, the top-mast, topgallant-mast, and royal-mast.
1873 Routledge's Young Gentleman's Mag. July 503/1 An upper-iron being screwed on to the lower one to turn the shaving back a little.
b. spec. in Anatomy, etc. (Cf. superior adj. 2.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > positions or directions in body > [adjective] > specific
rightOE
lefta1200
lowera1400
furtherc1400
lateral?a1425
sinistera1500
upper1528
anterior?1541
inferior1563
superior1566
oblique1578
high1588
ascendant1611
prone1646
peripherial1653
internal1657
supine1661
peripherical1690
gawk1703
ascending1713
adducent1722
submental1722
adductory1752
subdorsal1783
syntropic18..
atlantal1803
mesiad1803
mesial1803
proximal1803
sternal1803
distal1808
peripheral1808
peripheric1818
ventripetal1819
submedial1825
anteriormostc1826
subvertebral1827
afferent1828
sinistral1828
rostral1834
interganglionic1835
submedian1836
mesian1837
haemal1839
supravaginal1844
neural1846
symmetrical1851
suprameatal1853
paraxial1861
posterial1866
hypaxial1873
postaxial1873
preaxial1873
transmedial1876
transmedian1876
mediad1878
horizontal1881
mesal1881
prosomatic1882
dextrad1883
paramedian1890
prorsal1890
ventro-dorsal1895
midsagittal1898
ventro-axial1902
ventro-posterior1903
ipsilateral1907
parasagittal1907
ventromedial1908
homolateral1910
suprasellar1912
supratemporal1975
1528 [see sense 18a].
in combination.1879 J. Ruskin St. Mark's Rest Suppl. ii. 20 The man's thigh and upper-arm bones.1896 Godey's Mag. Apr. 430/1 His upper-limb muscles.1577 Vicary's Profitable Treat. Anat. sig. F.ijv The bones or bony partes, fyrste of the cheekes be two:..of the vpper Mandibile, two.
1610 J. Healey tr. J. L. Vives in tr. St. Augustine Citie of God viii. xxvi. 335 [The] Crocodile..moueth his vpper chappe.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 108 It conveyeth it into the duodenum or upper gut, thence into the lower bowells. View more context for this quotation
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Maxillæ The Maxilla Superior, or Upper Jaw, is immoveable in Man.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth V. 274 The upper chap [of the parrot], as well as the lower, are both moveable.
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. III. xxxiii. 374 The Upper or Primary Wings.
1838 Penny Cycl. X. 141/2 When the upper lid [of the eye] is raised.
1850 J. F. Cooper Ways of Hour I. 104 His front upper teeth were all gone.
1884 E. Coues Key to N. Amer. Birds (ed. 2) 110 The upper Primary coverts, or coverts of the primaries.
c. Upper Bench n. the name during the exile of Charles II of the King's Bench n. Now Historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > judicial body, assembly, or court > [noun] > King's or Queen's Bench
King's Benchc1390
Bank Royalc1450
Upper Bench1649
Queen's Bench1665
1649 Acts Interregnum (1911) II. 108 Three or more of the Justices of the upper Bench.
1651 tr. J. Kitchin Jurisdictions 579 The most Vsual Writs which have been used in the Kings Bench, and are most like to continue in that Court, now called the Vpper-Bench.
a1675 B. Whitelocke Memorials Eng. Affairs (1682) anno 1649 375/1 Voted [on 12 Feb. 1649] that the Kings-Bench Court should be called the Upper Bench.
d. orange upperwing: see orange upperwing n. at orange n.1 and adj.1 Compounds 1d.
4. † a. upper-stock n. (see stock n.1 40). Usually plural.
ΚΠ
1535 Wardrobe Acct. Henry VIII in Archaeologia (1789) 9 251 A paire of upper stockis of purple veluette,..also..a newe paire of nether stockis.
1542 in W. H. Stevenson Rec. Borough Nottingham (1885) III. 220 One peyr blacke hoys, the upper stokes blake velvet.
?1577 F. T. Debate Pride & Lowlines sig. Biiiiv His vpper stockes of sylken Grogerane.
1606 G. W. tr. Justinus Hist. xxxviii. 118 He conueyed a dagger in the vpperstock of his hose.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth III. vi. 93 His upper stocks of white velvet, lined with cloth of silver.]
b. That covers or clothes an upper part of the body, esp. the chest or shoulders. (Cf. sense 5a)Frequently from 1579 to 1625 in upper body.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [adjective] > upper clothing
upper1579
1579 Aldeburgh Rec. in Notes & Queries 12th Ser. VII. 328/2 An upper bodye and lyninge and a neckercher for hir.
1587 in Antiquary (1896) XXXII. 76 For an upper body and lace, xxiij d.
a1640 J. Fletcher et al. Faire Maide of Inne ii. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Eeeeeee4/1 Nothing but her upper bodies.
1871 S. Mateer Land of Charity xxi. 278 A cloth or scarf laid over the shoulder, called the ‘upper cloth,’ as worn by the Súdra women.
1895 C. S. Horne Story of L.M.S. 298 In 1858, the ‘upper cloth’ riots broke out again.
5. figurative.a1634 G. Chapman Bussy D'Ambois (1641) v. 65 Note what he wants? He wants his upper weed, He wants his life, and body.in combination.1840 W. M. Thackeray Pict. Rhapsody in Wks. (1899) XIII. 350 A hideous dress, with upper-Benjamin buttons.figurative.a1672 Bp. J. Wilkins Of Princ. Nat. Relig. (1675) 331 So only those at the upper end of the world are capable of being counted rich.1714 R. Fiddes Pract. Disc. (ed. 2) II. 157 Sometimes the most profligate sinners are seated at the upper end of the world.
a. Of garments, etc.: Worn above or outside another; outer, exterior; = over adj. 1b (Cf. sense 4b.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > outerwear > [adjective]
umestc1400
uttermostc1471
upper1526
upperest1548
uppermost1548
utmost?1553
upmost1592
1526 Bible (Tyndale) John xiii. f. cxlj Iesus..layde a syde hys vpper garmentes.
1547 in A. Feuillerat Documents Office of Revels Edward VI (1914) 10 Thupper & nether Baces & thunder sleves of clothe of golde.
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Sourafodro, a false vpper scabbard.
1611 J. Florio Queen Anna's New World of Words Soprabenda, an vpper scarfe.
1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 14 Their arme-pits: from whence the skirts flow loosely, fringed below; the vpper shorter than the neather.
1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Triumph of Faith 305 Christ clothed with love,..and yet his upper garment is vengeance.
1686 London Gaz. No. 2193/4 A brown coloured upper Coat.
1759 S. Johnson Prince of Abissinia II. xxxvii. 78 When my upper vest was taken off.
1778 C. Reeve Old Eng. Baron 84 You may take off her upper garments, and any thing of value.
1796 Grose's Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue (ed. 3) Upper Benjamin, a great coat.
1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. 223 Upper-Ben, Upper-Benjamin, Upper-Tog, a great coat.
1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe I. ii. 25 The upper dress of this personage resembled that of his companion in shape.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Pendennis (1850) I. iii. 30 A white upper-coat ornamented with cheese-plate buttons.
b. Furthest removed from the door or entrance; innermost. Usually with end (cf. sense 2).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being internal > [adjective] > in or relating to the inner part(s) > inmost > furthest within a building
upper1590
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. ix. sig. V6v Thence she them brought into a stately Hall... At th'upper end there sate..A comely personage.
1614 T. Overbury et al. Wife now Widdow Newes from Lower End of Table sig. H3v The best companie makes the vpper end of the table, and not the salt-seller.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost x. 446 His high Throne..at th' upper end Was plac't in regal lustre. View more context for this quotation
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 109. ⁋1 We were now arrived at the Upper-end of the Gallery.
1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe I. iii. 49 The walls of this upper end of the hall.
6. in combination.1862 S. Smiles Lives Engineers III. 9 The upper-ground workmen employed at the coal-pits.figurative.1859 G. Meredith Ordeal Richard Feverel I. xix. 286 Tossed into the upper stratum of civilized life.1868 C. M. Yonge Cameos 1st Ser. ii. 17 The Caroline race were Franks,..a mixture of Roman and Gallic, with only an upper stratum of the true Frank.1890 Blackie Ess. Mor. & Soc. Int. 298 In fact a large proportion of the upper strata of English is merely Latin and Greek in a very thin disguise.in combination.1865 J. Lubbock Prehist. Times ix. 300 The height at which the upper-level gravels stand above the present water-line.1890 Hardwicke's Sci.-gossip 26 146 The upper limestone masses.
a. Said of the surface of the earth and things upon it, in contrast to the under or nether regions.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > ground > [adjective] > on or above
aerial1608
superterraneala1629
supraterraneous1666
upper1667
superterraneous1671
superterraneana1681
superterrene1709
above ground1779
superterrestrial1828
supermundane1833
terricolous1835
terricole1840
overground1850
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost x. 422 For those Appointed to sit there, had left thir charge, Flown to the upper World. View more context for this quotation
1679 C. Ness Distinct Disc. Antichrist Ep. Ded. sig. A3v You may improve this upper-Ground whereon you stand.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 143 The lovely Bride In safety goes,..Longing the common Light again to share, And draw the vital breath of upper Air. View more context for this quotation
1815 W. Wordsworth Artegal & Elidure 53 Of Arthur,—who, to upper light restored,..Shall lift his country's fame above the polar star!
1822 Ld. Byron Vision of Judgm. xii He's dead—and upper earth with him has done; He's buried.
1887 R. Browning Apollo & Fates in Parleyings (Below. Darkness.).. We..Deal to each mortal his dole of light On earth—the upper, the glad, the bright.
b. Constituting or forming a stratum, layer, bed, etc., lying nearer the earth's surface or formed later in time; spec. of stratifications of more recent formation than another of that character and name.See also 13b, greensand n. 1, oolite n. 2, Silurian adj. and n.1 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > sedimentary formation > [adjective] > of or belonging to a stratum > superimposed or upper
upper1696
incumbent1789
1696 W. Whiston New Theory of Earth i. 77 Our upper strata..being generally factitious, or acquir'd at the Universal Deluge.
1731 J. Tull New Horse-houghing Husbandry 83 The..Hills whereof the Upper Stratum (or Staple) is Mould.
c1775 in Encycl. Brit. IV. 2526/1 If a ditch..penetrate through the upper stratum of clay.
1839 R. I. Murchison Silurian Syst. xlv. 605 The Ludlow and Wenlock Formations, or Upper Silurian Rocks.
1852 Sedgwick in London Lit. Gaz. 338/3 A part of my Upper Cambrian series.
1873 J. W. Dawson Story Earth & Man iv. 56 The Lower Silurian is the Upper Cambrian of Sedgwick.
1873 E. Hull Coal-fields Great Brit. (ed. 3) 192 The strata overlying the ‘Upper-foot’, or ‘Bullion-coal’.
1886 J. Barrowman Gloss. Sc. Mining Terms 69 Upper-leaf, the upper portion of a seam which is separated by a parting into two portions.
7.
a. Occurring or taking place in, directed towards, a higher or the highest position.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adjective] > having upward direction > to a higher position
upper1607
superior1718
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 402 An vpper attaint or ouerreach vpon the backe sinnew of the shanke.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Attaint The Farriers distinguish upper Attaints, given by the Toe of the Hind-foot upon the Sinew of the Fore-leg.—And nether Attaints.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 708 Upper transit, the passage of a circumpolar star over the meridian above the pole.
b. upper cut n. (a) in Pugilism (see quot. 1897); also as v.; (b) in Cricket, a cut that sends the ball up (obsolete exc. humorously).
ΚΠ
1842 Spirit of Times 17 Sept. 339/2 Giving him a sharp upper cut as he fell.
1850 in Mem. T. Sayers (1858) 21 Sayers..hit short at Collins with his left, who upper~cut him sharply, and slipped down.
1856 Sat. Rev. 2 658/2 Resorting to means of defence against which cross-buttocks and upper-cuts..will do very little good indeed.
1865 F. Lillywhite Guide to Cricketers (ed. 21) 128 [He] has..made some good scores this year, his ‘upper cut’ being particularly effective.
1872 Baily's Monthly Mag. June 44 Smith's plucky innings was considerably helped by hits known as ‘upper cuts’.
1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 139 Upper cut,..a counter, delivered upwards with either hand, when an opponent leads off or rushes in with his head down.
1898 A. M. Binstead Pink 'Un & Pelican 237 She wouldn't 'old her tongue the other night, an' so..I uppercuts her with the right.
1955 A. Ross Australia 55 133 Two upper-cuts sent second and third slip on futile chases to the boundary.
II. Senses relating to superior or senior position or status.
8. in combination.1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. v. ix. 343 The riband-cockade, as a sympton of Feuillant Upper-class temper.1890 Spectator 3 May The upper-class Arabs and Turks.1897 M. Kingsley Trav. W. Afr. 318 This aristocracy has sub-divisions, the M'pongwe of Gaboon are the upper-circle tribe.1955 Caribbean Quarterly IV. ii. 109 The ‘upper-upper’ French Creoles who number under 200 consider all the rest to be of mixed ancestry.1970 P. Dickinson Seals vi. 123 The harryings of ninety sets of upper-bourgeois parents.absolute.1898 G. Meredith Odes French Hist. 12 They, the triumphant tonant towering upper, were under; They, violators of home, dared hope an inviolate home.1967 N. Freeling Strike Out 74 She was too much upper to say cheers.
a. Occupying a higher (or the highest) position, station, or rank; superior in authority, place, etc. Cf. upstairs adv. and n. 1c.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > [adjective] > having superior or predominant authority
moreeOE
overc1175
surmontantc1400
upper1477
predominant1575
predominate1591
overswaying1601
predominated1800
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > [adjective] > exalted in rank
higheOE
stern of slatec1300
greatc1325
differentc1384
excellentc1400
haught1470
upper1477
elevate?1504
of sort1606
sublime1606
eminenta1616
exalted1623
elevated1665
uppish1797
ranking1847
high-up1848
high-ranking1850
superimposed1861
salt1868
top-ranking1936
1477 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1844) I. 36 That Alexander..be continevit vpper and principale maister of wark.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts xxii. 26 The vnder captayne..went to the vpper captayne, and tolde hym.
1561 in A. Macdonald & J. Dennistoun Misc. Maitland Club (1843) III. ii. 269 We hawe command of ye vppir poweris to put the same in executione.
1647 in S. Tymms Wills & Inventories Bury St. Edmunds (1850) 195 At the disposing of..God, whoe is the onely supreme and vpper Lord of all.
1710 R. Steele Tatler No. 180. ⁋4 The Abatement which they suffer when paid, by the Extortion of Upper Servants.
1770 P. Luckombe Conc. Hist. Printing 86 He was upper-warden of the Stationer's Company.
1776 J. Woodforde Diary 3 June (1924) I. 182 One of them is to be an upper servant and she lived very lately with Mr. Howes.
1783 J. Woodforde Diary 24 Mar. (1926) II. 65 Betty, my Upper Maid stayed at home being Washing Week.
a1817 J. Austen Persuasion (1818) III. vi. 102 Her upper house-maid and laundry-maid. View more context for this quotation
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. II. 218 I am the upper boots..; the other man's my man, as..does odd jobs.
1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre I. v. 77 One of the upper teachers..installed herself at the top of one table.
1862 A. Trollope Orley Farm II. xxxi. 248 ‘I was housemaid at Orley Farm.’ ‘Were you upper or under there?’
1872 A. C. Steele Broken Toys I. vii. 102 ‘Oh, yes, I was the upper-housemaid,’ the old woman quavered.
1958 R. Williams Culture & Society iii. 329 That kind of confidence which will enable the upper servants to supervise and direct the lower servants.
b. Higher or highest in respect of influence, wealth, office, or dignity; wealthy, aristocratic, influential.Frequently since c1890, esp. with class (cf. class n. 4). Also used to indicate finer gradations in the social scale, as upper-lower, upper-middle, upper-upper, upper-working (class); see also upper middle class adj. as main entry. Also upper bourgeois.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > aristocracy or upper class > [adjective]
aristocratic1596
select1602
qualified1604
patrician?1614
classical1629
aristocratical1742
ruffle-shirted1805
connected1817
thoroughbred1821
upper1825
eupatrid1833
optimate1846
classy1870
silver-tailed1890
upper-bracket1945
upscale1966
1825 J. Wilson in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 373 I wad aiblins introduce the upper ranks intil the wark.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. vii. ii. 342 The best informed Upper-Circles.
1839 T. Carlyle Chartism v. 42 The oppressing or neglecting upper classes.
1844 [see upper ten n. at sense 20a]. 1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits xii. 210 These seminaries are finishing schools for the upper classes, and not for the poor.
1907 M. Berenson Let. 6 Mar. (1983) 139 So you aren't a ‘County Family’..‘not knowing yet’ whether you're Upper Middle or only Middle.
1938 E. Bowen Death of Heart iii. vi. 420 Oh, shut up, darling... Don't be so upper class.
1940 T. H. Harrisson & C. H. Madge War begins at Home v. 103 The response was best from the upper and middle classes; whilst the upper-working or artisan class supplied its quota.
1955 T. H. Pear Eng. Social Differences iii. 88 Radio-copies of lower-middle, upper-lower and middle-lower speech.
1964 T. B. Bottomore Elites & Soc. iv. 82 The postwar reforms of recruitment to the French higher civil service..have changed the ethos of education for the administrative elite—have made it more ‘managerial’ and less ‘upper class’.
1964 C. Barber Ling. Change Present-day Eng. ii. 18 The general pattern of usage is as follows: pudding (upper and upper-middle), sweet (middle), [etc.].
1967 J. M. Argyle Psychol. Interpersonal Behaviour iv. 83 A development in the British class system during the 1950s was the emergence of an upper working class.
1974 H. Waugh Parrish for Defence (1975) xxxix. 182 You're closer to where it's at if you're only upper middle class than if you're upper upper.
c. upper-bracket adj. belonging to or characteristic of the higher section of a (social) scale; upper-class, wealthy, influential; cf. (income) bracket n.; also upper-income.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > aristocracy or upper class > [adjective]
aristocratic1596
select1602
qualified1604
patrician?1614
classical1629
aristocratical1742
ruffle-shirted1805
connected1817
thoroughbred1821
upper1825
eupatrid1833
optimate1846
classy1870
silver-tailed1890
upper-bracket1945
upscale1966
1943 Gen 2 Jan. 29/1 Once he got in the upper brackets, fistically speaking.]
1945 S. Lewis Cass Timberlane 157 I go there all the time, to shave the upper-bracket crooks when they got too big a hang-over to walk.
1957 O. Nash You can't get there from Here 130 And, should upper-bracket dreamers wake, Squab o' Neptune, and Plankton Steak.
1960 N. Mitford Don't tell Alfred ix. 98 He's all set for the upper-income group—tax free of course.
1973 J. Rossiter Manipulators xiv. 138 Luckhurst's overcoat and suit had been expensively tailored, the watch on his wrist an upper~bracket Rolex.
1978 Detroit Free Press 16 Apr. 8 a/1 The migration of middle and upper-income whites out of the central cities has become a headlong flight.
9.
a. Consisting of or including more advanced studies or more proficient students; having a higher place or standing in studies or learning.Recorded earliest in upper school n. at sense 12.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > place of education > [adjective] > educational institution > advanced
upper1586
1586 in Cal. Dramatic Rec. 1485–1640 (1954) iii. 156 Now there are not sixtene good, and bad, yt have bin yet ij yeares vnder our maister in all the vpper scole.
1629 J. Wadsworth Eng. Spanish Pilgrime iii. 15 The Students of the three vnder schooles, go vp to those of the vpper.
1730 J. Clarke Ess. Educ. Youth (ed. 2) 209 The Boys of the upper Classes may be admitted.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones I. ii. iii. 90 His Scholars were divided into two Classes. In the upper of which was a young Gentleman, [etc.] . View more context for this quotation
b. With an ordinal number. (a) Designating the senior division of a class or form at school, as upper sixth (form), etc. (b) upper second, the upper division of a second-class honours degree.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > learning > learner > one attending school > [adjective] > form or class
third form1687
upper1856
sixth1857
mainstream1974
society > education > educational administration > examination > [adjective] > mark
fair1850
magna cum laude1856
summa cum laude1896
starred1912
upper1982
1856 C. M. Yonge Daisy Chain i. ix. 90 They are a low, ungentlemanly lot just now, about sixth and upper fifth form.
1858 J. A. Symonds Let. 6 June (1967) I. 145 Bosanquet is an Upper Sixth Boy and nearly a Monitor.
1905 R. Brooke Lett. (1968) 29 I decided that Swinburne would be a great aesthetic blessing to the starved Upper Sixth.
1935 C. Isherwood Mr. Norris changes Trains i. 7 An incident..To do with the upper fourth form classroom.
1981 E. North Dames ii. 24 The form previously called Middle Five B would now be known as Upper Fifth.
1982 Oxf. Times 25 June 11/3 He decided he wanted to see America, after graduating at Oxford with an Upper Second in Geography.
10. † b. upper fortune n. the upper hand (cf. 16).
a. Of a higher, better, more excellent, or more comprehensive quality; superior.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being better or superior > [adjective]
bettereOE
selerOE
betc1175
greaterc1325
unmeeta1393
masculinec1425
above one's matchc1500
superior?c1550
uppera1586
precedent1598
supereminent1599
empyreal1641
prerogative1646
paramount1654
subalternating1671
racy1675
ranking1847
plus1860
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > surpassing excellence > [adjective] > and superior in quality
higheOE
finec1330
supreme1567
uppera1586
nature-graceda1618
de luxe1819
nature-favoured1877
a1586 Sir P. Sidney tr. P. de Mornay Woorke concerning Trewnesse Christian Relig. ii. ⁋1 We reduce the particulars too an vnderkind, the vnderkinds to an vpperkind, and the vpperkind to a most generall. As for example, we reduce all particular humane persons vnder the terme of man.
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. x. 163 If the mixture of the Elements cannot make the forme whereby the vpperkyndes differ from one another, as the sencelesse things from the things that haue sence.
1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus ii. ix. 67/2 Here, then, as I lay in that Centre of Indifference; cast, doubtless, by benignant upper Influence, into a healing sleep [etc.].
1895 ‘M. Corelli’ Sorrows Satan iv [Genius] is..an ‘upper’ thing, beyond earthly smells and savours.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > [noun]
overhandc1175
masteryc1225
gree1320
betc1330
pricea1350
advantagea1393
overmasterya1400
voicea1400
betterc1405
higherc1450
prevaila1460
superiority1548
mastership1573
prevalence1604
eminence1609
privilegea1616
prevalency1623
upper fortunea1625
whipping-hand1682
whip hand1806
a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Honest Mans Fortune i. ii, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ttttt3/1 Since You have the upper fortune of him, 'twill Be some dishonor to you to beare your selfe With any pride or glory over him.
11. Constituting or producing a higher tone, note, or notes. upper partial n. = harmonic adj. 2a.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > [adjective] > high
higha1393
high-pitched1597
high-set1603
high-pitch1614
high-tuned1623
high-toned1754
high-keyed1830
upper1843
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > [noun] > note or tone > undertones, overtones, etc.
harmonic1772
undertone1832
subtone1838
by-tone1852
overtone1867
upper partial1873
overnote1917
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > thing heard > [noun] > sound > quality of sound > pitch > overtone
overtone1867
upper partial1873
1843 Penny Cycl. XXVI. 418/2 The upper or female voice part of the scale.
1843 Penny Cycl. XXVI. 419/1 The extreme upper notes of the falsetto.
1873 A. J. Ellis tr. H. L. F. Helmholtz in E. Atkinson et al. tr. H. L. F. von Helmholtz Pop. Lect. Sci. Subj. 101 Although we are not usually clearly conscious of these beating upper partials, the ear feels their effect as a want of uniformity or a roughness in the mass of tone.
1880 G. Grove Dict. Music II. 654/1 The difficulty of hearing the upper partial tones.
1881 J. Broadhouse Student's Helmholtz 312 Those combinational tones which result from the union of the upper partials.
1895 I. K. Funk et al. Standard Dict. Eng. Lang. II. Upper-keyboard, the right-hand side of the keyboard.
1896 A. J. Hipkins Descr. & Hist. Pianoforte 122 Upper Partial, any partial or simple division of a compound vibrating string that is above the first, or Fundamental.
1979 Early Mus. Gaz. Oct. 5/1 Most viols of the Renaissance types were considered to produce more upper partials and less fundamental tone than later types, and, for that reason, to blend more readily with plucked string tone.
1993 Strings Mar. 88/2 A physical property known as inharmonicity: the upper partials or harmonics of the string will be markedly out of tune with the fundamental pitch.
III. Compounds.figurative.1614 T. Overbury et al. Characters in Wife now Widdow (3rd impr.) sig. C5 Nothing but hunger and hard rockes can conuert him; and then but his vpper decke neither; for his hold neither feares nor hopes.attributive.1709 London Gaz. No. 4521/2 Upon whom we fired..our Upper-deck..Guns.1892 E. Reeves Homeward Bound 129 To give third-class passengers a little breathing upper-deck space.
12. upper air n. = upper atmosphere n. upper atmosphere n. the upper part of the earth's atmosphere; now spec. that above the troposphere. upper berth n. U.S. the higher of two bunks set one above the other, usually in a boat, sleeping-car, etc. upper circle n. the tier of seats above the dress circle in a theatre; cf. circle n. 11b. upperclassman n. U.S. a junior or senior student in school or college (as opposed to freshman n.). upper school n. the upper year groups of a school; cf. school n.1 5e. upper servant n. a domestic servant of superior grade of employment, as a butler or a housekeeper.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > [noun] > specific regions of
upper air1586
upper atmosphere1586
stratosphere1909
troposphere1909
ionosphere1926
ozone layer1927
ozonosphere1933
spray region1949
mesosphere1950
thermosphere1950
turbosphere1951
magnetosphere1959
Van Allen1959
ozone shield1965
plasmasphere1966
ozone1975
society > education > learning > learner > college or university student > [noun] > 3rd or final year student
questionist1549
upperclassman1586
sophister1841
third season man1841
tertian1857
society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > railway wagon or carriage > carriage designed to carry passengers > sleeping car > berth in
upper berth1586
upper1938
couchette1969
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > auditorium > [noun] > balcony or circle
upper circle1586
balcony1718
dress circle1812
mezzanine1927
terrace1961
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > bed > types of bed > [noun] > bunk > upper
upper berth1586
1877 Q. Jrnl. Meteorol. Soc. 3 447 It would not..do to imagine that every cloud in the rear of another cloud was cirrus, and yet it might be a distinct upper air current.]
1895 Q. Jrnl. Royal Meteorol. Soc. 21 182 The scheme of exploring the upper air by means of small balloons was first proposed by Geheimrat A. Meydenbaur.
1957 Encycl. Brit. XXII. 883 b/1 In meteorology the exploration of the upper air, using instruments carried by balloons, kites or aircraft, is an important part of observational technique.
1979 J. G. Navarra Atmosphere, Weather & Climate x. 357 Aircraft provide a highly mobile way of gathering data in the upper air.
1895 Q. Jrnl. Royal Meteorol. Soc. 21 182 The Upper Atmosphere.—On July 7th, 1894, Dr. Assmann set free at Charlottenburg a balloon, equipped with self-registering apparatus for the determination of meteorological data in the higher regions of the atmosphere.
1933 Discovery Dec. 359/2 There is a monthly sequence of intense magnetic activity when wireless waves are absorbed and not reflected by the upper atmosphere.
1976 Physics Bull. Dec. 554/2 The author looks at the earth's upper atmosphere, taking the tropopause as its lower boundary.
1894 F. M. Crawford upper berth.
1917 J. Husband Story of Pullman Car 29 The upper berth might be closed in the day time and also serve as a receptacle for bedding.
1829 Harlequin 20 June 46 The upper circle and lower gallery were reserved for company to view the entertainment.
1889 Theatre May 292 The house consists of four tiers, pit and stalls, dress circle, upper circle, and gallery.
1926 A. Conan Doyle in Liberty 18 Dec. 9/1 Amberley..had taken two upper-circle seats at the Haymarket Theater.
1871 L. H. Bagg Four Years at Yale 70 Only a few upper-class men will be found there.
1897 C. M. Flandrau Harvard Episodes 202 If they happened to be upper classmen.
1933 F. S. Fitzgerald Let. 26 June (1964) 502 Insofar as upperclass~men are concerned I saw a rather depressed runt at the Yale game.
1978 J. Irving World according to Garp ii. 48 He befriended Garp in a very decent fashion while he was an upperclassman at Steering and Garp was just starting out.
1586Vpper scole [see sense 9a].
1698 M. Henry Acct. Life P. Henry i. 7 A while after he was taken into the upper School,..he was admitted King's Scholar.
1798 E. India Kalendar 64 Mr. Rich. Burney, head master of the upper school. Mrs. Sutton, head mistress of ditto.
1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. viii. 178 Three unhappy fellows..whom the Doctor and the master of the form were always endeavouring to hoist into the upper school.
1946 S. Dewdney Wind without Rain 399 Although he was head of the department he had no Upper School Latin.
2002 Times Educ. Suppl. 27 Sept. 30/5 Bexleyheath creates a ‘human-scale’ environment..by managing its lower, middle and upper schools separately.
1751 F. Coventry Hist. Pompey the Little ii. v. 170 There was no Table for upper Servants, and her Pride could not endure to sit down to Dinner with Menials.
2010 S. Fry Fry Chrons. 187 After hanging about for hours in a small dining area set aside for toast masters in red mess jackets and what used to be called the upper servants, we were at last on.
13. upper crust n.† b. The exterior or surface layer of the earth.
a. The top crust of a loaf. Also transferred.
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c1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 342 Kutt þe vpper crust [of the loaf] for youre souerayne.
1542 A. Borde Compend. Regyment Helth xi. sig. F.ivv Wherfore chyp the vpper crust of your breade.
1591 A. W. Bk. Cookrye (rev. ed.) 10 b Put therto a peece of vpper crust of white bread.
1768 W. Donaldson Life Sir Bartholomew Sapskull II. 108 The upper-crust of that building [the Mansion-house] is thought too heavy for the simple ingredients of an aldermanic pasty.
1823 J. Badcock Domest. Amusem. 32 Alum throws up a flowery paleness upon the whole upper crust.
1868 F. J. Furnivall in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 271 (margin) The upper crust of a fine loaf.
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1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 234 An other kynde of Rubies..found in the mountaynes in the vpper crust or floure of the earth.
1669 J. Worlidge Systema Agriculturæ (1681) 230 It..doth not bury the upper-crust of the ground so deep as usually is done by digging.
1696 W. Whiston New Theory of Earth i. 53 Such an Upper Crust or Shell of Earth on the face of the Abyss.
1762 J. Mills New Syst. Pract. Husbandry I. 39 When the upper crust of the earth is removed, all that can be seen, or dug, is marle.
c. slang. The human head; a hat.
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1826 Sporting Mag. July 253/2 Tom completely tinkered his antagonist's upper crust.
1829 P. Egan Boxiana New Ser. II. 461 Ward..threw his upper-crust into the ring.
1832 P. Egan Bk. Sports (Farmer) Sam's nob had been in pepper alley, and his upper crust was rather changed.
1851 Househ. Words II. 320/1 A highly-polished Parisian upper-crust..smashed under the weight of a carter's slouch.
d. dialect. (See quot.)
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1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 371 ‘Mrs. Upper Crust.’ A fictitious designation for any female who assumes unauthorised superiority.
e. (See quot. 1848.) Frequently attributive or as adj. colloquial (originally U.S.).
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1836 T. C. Haliburton Clockmaker 1st Ser. xxviii It was none o' your skim-milk parties, but superfine uppercrust real jam.
1843 T. C. Haliburton Attaché xxiv I want you to see Peel,..Macaulay, old Joe, and so on. These men are all upper crust here.
1848 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms Upper Crust, the aristocracy; the higher circles.
1850 J. F. Cooper Ways of Hour I. vi. 186 Those families..are our upper crust—not upper ten thousand, as the newspapers call it, but upper hundred.
1863 G. Du Maurier Let. May in Young G. du Maurier (1951) 204 All Millais' [paintings] are upper crust.
1878 W. S. Gilbert H.M.S. Pinafore ii. 31 Two tender babes I nussed: One was of low condition, The other, upper crust, A regular patrician.
1898 Daily News 14 Feb. 2/7 55 magistrates, 46 of whom belonged to what..[is] sometimes called ‘the upper crust’.
1957 New Statesman 19 Oct. 1/2 Views which are commonplace in upper-crust circles.
1966 D. Francis Flying Finish vii. 82 One particular horse from an upper crust stud.
1973 M. Amis Rachel Papers 116 I stalked up to the door and rapped, with an upper-crust rap, on the knocker.
f. upper-crusty adj. aristocratic, (socially) superior.
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1977 Time 26 Dec. 1/1 The politicians' wives, looking upper-crusty.
1980 TWA Ambassador Oct. 77/3 We lived in Garden City, the upper-crusty part.
14. upper deck n. the highest continuous deck of a ship. (Originally the higher of two decks, in contrast to the lower.)
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1591 W. Raleigh Rep. Fight Iles of Açores sig. B3 Sir Richard..was neuer so wounded as that hee forsooke the vpper decke.
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes I was but one to sit at sterne, to pricke my carde, to watch vpon the vpper decke.
1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 10 The vpper Decke should be layd with so many beames as are fitting with knees to bind them.
a1687 W. Petty Treat. Naval Philos. i. i, in T. Hale Acct. New Inventions (1691) 120 The Hull under the said upper Deck is divided into the Cavity or Hold.
1758 J. Blake Plan Marine Syst. 2 It is proposed, that..guns run out on the upper deck only.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Deep-waisted To leave a vacant space, called the waiste, on the middle of the upper-deck.
1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 98 That part of the upper-deck which is between the forecastle and poop..is termed the Main-deck.
1889 E. C. Stedman in Life W. Sharp (1910) ix. 155 You looked down upon its members from the Servia's upper-deck.
15. upper dog n. [After underdog n.] the victorious party in a contest; the one who has the upper hand or a position of superiority. Cf. overdog n. rare.
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the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > [noun] > one who has mastery or superiority
upper dog1903
1903 G. Bowles in Hansard's Parl. Deb. 4th Ser. 18 Feb. 224 If it came to a question of force, we should always be the ‘upper dog’ in Persia.
1940 ‘G. Orwell’ Inside Whale 82 One has got to change sides when the underdog becomes an upperdog.
1971 Daily Progress (Charlottesville, Va.) 30 Mar. 4/2 I am for the upperdog—the achiever, the succeeder.
16. upper hand n.transf. (of things).1535 Bible (Coverdale) Wisd. x. 5 Whan wickednes had gotten ye vpper-hande, so yt the nacions were puft vp with pryde.1546 S. Gardiner Detection Deuils Sophistrie 16 Whiles the bely hath the vpperhande amonge a greate many.1579 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 87 Summer gettith the upperhande of wynter, and wynter agayne of summer.1622 H. Peacham Compl. Gentleman xv. 186 Hereby the minde getteth the dominion and vpperhand.1712 A. Pope in Spectator No. 408. If a Man suffers them [sc. the passions] to get the upper Hand.1796 F. Burney Camilla I. ii. viii. 289 Sir Hugh..said it never broke out from him but by accident, which..should never get the upper hand again.1873 M. Oliphant Innocent III. 160 The natural honesty to which he had appealed gained the upper hand.1885 Manch. Examiner 29 June 5/1 The worst tendencies of the party will gain the upper hand.figurative.1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III iv. iv. 37 If ancient sorrow be most reuerent, Giue mine the benefite of signorie, And let my woes frowne on the vpper hand . View more context for this quotation
a. The mastery, control, or advantage (of, or over, a person, people, etc.); predominance, rule, or dominion. Usually const. with verbs, as attain, gain, get, have, obtain. Cf. earlier overhand n. (Frequently c1560–1600.)
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1481 J. Tiptoft Tulle on Old Age (Caxton) g viij b Marcus Attilius..had the vppirhande and victorye of the men of cartage.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms ix. 19 Vp Lorde, let not man haue the vpper hande.
1576 G. Gascoigne Steele Glas sig. E.ij Downe goeth al, where they [sc. soldiers] get vpper hand.
a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Little French Lawyer i. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. H2/2 I have seene fooles, and fighters, chain'd together, And the Fighters had the upper hand, and whipt first, The poore Sotts laughing at 'em.
1690 Ld. Somers Vindic. Proc. Late Parl. 10 The Jacobites, and the Malecontents..might perhaps get the upper hand, if not prevented in time.
1742 E. Young Complaint: Night the Third 31 Where every Ranger of the Wilds, perhaps, Each Reptile justly claims our upper Hand.
1743 R. Pococke Descr. East I. 177 When the Greeks got the upper hand,..they treated them with great rigour.
1838 C. Dickens Oliver Twist I. xv. 240 I've got the upper hand over you.
1861 Ld. Brougham Brit. Constit. (ed. 2) xiii. 195 They blindly followed the dictates of the faction which had the upper-hand.
1865 J. W. Carlyle Lett. (1883) III. 303 I decided to take the upper hand with her, and keep it.
b. A person or party in power or authority.
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b.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. cxxvj The poore inhabitauntes..were..compelled, to yeilde and rendre theimselfes, to the more power, and vpper hande.
1606 G. Chapman Sir Gyles Goosecappe i. iv. sig. C1v One of these painted communities, that are rauisht with Coaches, and vpper hands.
c. The place of authority or honour; preference, precedence. (Usually with give or take.)
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1583 R. Greene Mamillia i. f. 12 If by chaunce the Vestal virgins walked abroad, the Senators would giue them the vpper hand.
1598 R. Hakluyt tr. Vincent of Beauvais in Princ. Navigations (new ed.) I. 68 They..gaue vs and Duke Ieroslaus the vpper hand, when we were abroad in their companie.
1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 9 The Priestaf gave the Ambassadours the upper Hand, and conducted them to the Inn.
1663 S. Pepys Diary 25 Jan. (1971) IV. 25 A late dispute between my Lord Chesterfield..and Mr. Edward Mountagu..who should have the precedence in taking the Queens upper hand abroad out of the house.
1715 London Gaz. No. 5329/1 The Empress..gave the upper Hand to the [Dowager] Empress Amalia.
1746 P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Satires ii. v. 26 Yet wait upon him, at his least command, And always bid him take the upper hand.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas III. vii. ii. 33 [At] the second table..the whole household..insisted on giving me the upper hand.
d. adv. (See quots., and cf. underhand adv. 2c.)
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1770 P. Luckombe Conc. Hist. Printing 333 The Nut and Spindle, and the Toe of the Spindle, are all to be well oiled; that they may all perform their several offices the easier..; both Upper and Under hand.
1808 C. Stower Printer's Gram. 530 When the spindle goes soft and easy,..it goes well upper hand or above hand.
1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 150
e. upperhandism n. [-ism suffix 2b] Apparently an isolated use.
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1845 E. B. Barrett Let. 17 Feb. in Lett. R. Browning & E. B. Barrett (1899) I. 26 The curious thing in this world is not the stupidity, but the upperhandism of the stupidity.
17. upper house n. a higher house of deliberation or legislation, esp. the House of Lords.
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society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > [noun] > a chamber or house of > upper
lower house1523
upper house1532
upper chamber1753
senate1776
state senate1791
second chamber1828
attributive.
1532–3 Act 24 Hen. VIII c. 12 §4 The Spirituall Prelatez and other Abbottes and Priours of the upper House assembled..in the Convocacion.
1583 Sir T. Smith's De Republica Anglorum ii. ii. 38 Besides the Chauncelor, there is one in the vpper house who is called Clarke of the Parliament.
1610 E. Bolton Elements of Armories 150 Or should I not doe wrong to Campes, and Parliaments, robbing souldiers, and vpper-house men of their colour?
1640 J. Yorke Union of Honour 66 Which was concluded in the upperhouse of Parliament.
a1670 J. Hacket Scrinia Reserata (1693) ii. 180 The Bishops..intended that this Petition..should be preferred to the King..in the Upper House of Parliament.
1708 J. Chamberlayne Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (1710) ii. 481 A List of the Members of the Upper-House of Convocation.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Convocation Things are first usually propos'd in the upper House; then communicated to the lower.
1818 J. Bentham Church-of-Englandism p. x The Lower House was indeed untaxable. But the Upper House..taxed themselves.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. iii. 325 The abolition of the monasteries deprived the Church..of her predominance in the upper house of parliament.
1859 W. Swainson New Zealand xi. 289 The Legislative Council, or Upper House.
1885 C. Lowe Life Bismarck I. 293 The Lower Chamber would not yield an inch to the Crown and the Upper House.
18. upper leather n.figurative.1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam (title page) Willing to help 'mend his Native Country, lamentably tattered, both in the upper-Leather and sole.
a. Leather forming the upper of a boot or shoe; also, = upper n.1 1.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > upper
upper leather1528
upper1789
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > upper > leather forming upper
overleather1364
upper leather1528
1528 Rede me & be nott Wrothe sig. f iij Jef. To mangill their good shues so, Me thynketh it but folisshnes. Wat. They cutt but the vpper ledder.
1603–4 Act 1 James I c. 22 §23 The upper Leather of any Shooes, Startups, &c.
1708 S. Ockley Conquest of Syria 142 Those who had strong Boots on,..had the Soals torn off from the Upper-Leathers.
1760 Philos. Trans. 1759 (Royal Soc.) 51 39 With that shoe struck off, and its upper-leather torn.
1841 Penny Cycl. XXI. 410/2 The lasting or tacking of the upper-leather to the in-sole.
1846 W. M. Thackeray Laman Blanchard in Wks. (1899) XIII. 467 Persons who..polish their upper-leathers as well as they can.
1872 T. Hardy Under Greenwood Tree I. ii. ii. 139 The upper-leather of a Wellington-boot.
b. Sheet-leather suitable or prepared for such.
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society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > [noun] > leather for boots or shoes
sole-leather1408
clout-leathera1500
bend-leather1581
footing1591
upper leather1629
capping-leathera1642
shoe leather1660
crop-sole1824
pannus corium1841
shoe-butt1858
rough stuff1860
zug1899
1629 Leather 12 The..strongest, which might..serue both for sooling leather and vpper leather.
1629 Leather 15 The Market is full of excellent Leather (strong Backes, and good vpper Leathers).
1885 Harper's Mag. Jan. 278/1 Upper~leather..is sold by the foot or pound.
19. upper lip n.
a. The lip on the upper side of the mouth; the superior lip of a person, animal, or insect.
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1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. ix. sig. Lv He can yll pype, that lacth his vpper lyp.
a1599 E. Spenser View State Ireland 43 in J. Ware Two Hist. Ireland (1633) That no man shall weare his beard onely on the upper lip.
1611 Bible (King James) Lev. xiii. 45 The leper..shall put a couering vpon his vpper lip . View more context for this quotation
1670 J. Milton Hist. Brit. vi. 304 The English then useing to let grow on thir upper-lip large Mustachio's.
1704 Dict. Rusticum at Rules for buying Horses If his Upper-Lip will not reach his Nether.
1739 J. Sparrow tr. H. F. Le Dran Observ. Surg. xi. 44 It [sc. a tumour] possessed the whole upper Lip.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa VI. cxxiii. 387 Which made John's upper-lip..rise to his nose.
1815 Massachusetts Spy 14 June 4/4 I kept a stiff upper lip, and bought license to sell my goods.
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. III. xxxiii. 355 Labrum (the Upper-lip), a usually moveable organ; which..is situate between the Mandibulæ.
1833 J. Neal Down-easters I. ii. 15 ‘What's the use o' boo~hooin'?.. Keep a stiff upper lip; no bones broke—don't I know?’
1836 W. Yarrell Hist. Brit. Fishes I. 378 [The loach] with four barbules or cirri..on the upper lip in the front.
1849 C. Brontë Shirley II. xii. 305 He had the shorter nose and longer upper-lip of his sister.
b. The higher of the two edges of an organ-pipe mouth.
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1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Organ Over this Aperture is the Mouth..; whose upper Lip.., being level, cuts the Wind as it comes out at the Aperture.
1852 tr. J. J. Seidel Organ & its Constr. 78 The upper lip..forming, together with the under lip, the mouth of the pipe.
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. 1709/2 The lower edge of the leaf is termed the upper lip.
c. Botany. The superior or upper division of a bilabiate corolla or calyx.
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1731 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. I Salvia..hath a labiated Flower, consisting of one Leaf, whose Upper-lip is sometimes arched.
1793 T. Martyn Lang. Bot. sig. Iv Galea (an helmet), the upper lip of a ringent corolla.
1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) III. 555 Digitalis purpurea... Segments of the calyx egg-shaped, acute:..upper lip nearly entire.
1807 J. E. Smith Introd. Physiol. & Systematical Bot. 434 Ajuga [has] scarcely any upper lip at all.
d. spec. (See underlip n. 1b.)
20.
a. upper ten n. colloquial the upper classes; the aristocracy. Originally (U.S.) upper ten thousand.
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(a)
(b)1846 A. J. H. Duganne Daguerreotype Miniature 20 Major Peyton Florence was held in great reverence by the ‘upper ten’.1848 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms The Upper Ten Thousand, and contracted, the Upper Ten,..the upper circles of our large cities.1860 W. H. Russell My Diary in India I. 119 Petty jealousy and ‘caste’ reigned in the Residency; the ‘upper ten’ with stoical grandeur would die the ‘upper ten’.1886 C. E. Pascoe London of To-day (ed. 3) xxxii. 294 Clubs of some note..patronized by the ‘upper ten’.1890 H. R. Haggard Beatrice xi Plenty of carriages, and other needful things, including of course the entrée to the upper celestial ten.] in extended use.1879 R. Jefferies Wild Life 160 Neither is he [sc. the robin] a favourite with the upper class of cottagers—for there is an ‘upper ten’ even among cottagers.1844 N. P. Willis in Evening Mirror (N.Y.) 11 Nov. 2/1 At present there is no distinction among the upper ten thousand of the city.
1861 C. J. Lever One of Them xix. 149 The Peerage,..the bulky volume that records the alliances and the ages of the ‘upper ten thousand’.
1871 Punch 13 May 187/2 There was no grievance on the part of the ‘upper ten thousand’.
b. upper-tendom n. = upper ten n. at sense 20a. Chiefly U.S.
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1848 F. A. Buck Yankee Trader in Gold Rush (1930) 13 I suppose you and those other families left out constitute an Upper Ten-dom, in the place.
1855 ‘Q. K. P. Doesticks’ Doesticks, what he Says xvi. 131 I did go to a ball for the benefit of the poor—a two-dollar commingling of upper-tendom with lower-twentydom.
1863 N. Hawthorne Our Old Home II. 199 All the girls, whether daughters of the upper-tendom, the mediocrity, the cottage, or the kennel.
1887 W. F. Rae Miss Bayle's Romance I. 253 This countess belongs to the real upper tendom.
21. upper works n.figurative.1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. vi. 47 I'd have you take care of your upper works; for if once you are made fast to her poop, agad! she'll..make every beam in your body crack with straining.
a. That part of a vessel which is above water-level when it is ready or laden for a voyage; = dead-work n. 1 (Also †upper work.)
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1591 W. Raleigh Rep. Fight Iles of Açores sig. B3v The mastes all beaten ouer board,..her vpper worke altogither rased.
1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. xi. 52 She is brought in narrow to her vpper workes.
1693 London Gaz. No. 2865/1 The French Man of War..who fought the Berkeley Castle..being very leaky,..and all her upper Work torn to pieces.
1745 P. Thomas True Jrnl. Voy. South-Seas 270 To caulk the Ship's Upper-Works and Decks.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Upper-work, a general name given to all that part of a ship which is above the surface of the water when she is properly balanced.
1798 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) III. 106 The Sérieuse was set on fire to burn her upper works which were above water.
1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 157 Upper works,..all that part which may be considered as separated from the bottom by the main wale.
1898 R. Kipling Fleet in Being i. 7 The battleships overtook us, their white upperworks showing like icebergs as they topped the sea-line.
b. The higher portion of a structure.
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1791 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse §60 The object was to repair or restore the Upper Works.
c. slang. The head; the mental capacity.
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1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas I. iii. iii. 361 Arsenia and Florimonde are not strong in their upper works; but then they have a facility in their vocation which is more than all the wit in the world.
1818 Sporting Mag. July 167 Neate gave Oliver..a..hit on his mouth, that his upper works were in a complete state of chaos.
1860 J. P. Kay-Shuttleworth Scarsdale II. 299 Oi'm i' gradely fettle..i' th' upper warks.
Draft additions 1993
upper cut:
(a) also as v. intransitive (past t. usually uppercut).
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1909 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Uppercut, v.t. & i. In boxing, to strike, or hit, with an uppercut. Slang or Cant.
1952 Amat. Boxing (‘Know the Game’ Ser.) 19/2 It can also be used in defence.., by side stepping and uppercutting with left or right.
1973 S. Stevens Dead City i. 7 Flowers..uppercutted perfectly into his groin. Spina sagged, and was held up from behind as Flowers broke his nose.
(b) in Bridge, a strategy in which a defender tries to promote a trump card in his partner's hand by forcing the declarer to overtrump a ruff; also as v. intransitive and transitive.
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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > bridge > [noun] > actions or tactics
echo1862
signal1864
Vienna Coup1864
Peter1885
Bath coup1897
promotion1900
finesse1902
switch1921
false-carding1923
squeeze1926
squeeze play1926
suicide squeeze1931
pseudo-squeeze1932
throw-in1932
suit preference signal1934
underlead1934
psyching1938
ruff and discard1939
hold-up1945
upper cut1955
safety play1959
1955 Mollo & Gardener Card Play Technique vi. 77 This particular type of promotion play is known as the uppercut.
1959 T. Reese Bridge Player's Dict. 247 West uppercuts with the nine of hearts, forcing the jack from dummy; that leaves East with a certain trump trick.
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 12 June 14/1 Normally one uppercut and one promotion is par for any hand; but in this week's, a defender promoted three trump tricks for his partner.
1989 N.Y. Times 18 Feb. i. 19/5 The second and third round of clubs are ruffed by East, uppercutting the declarer, and West is surprised to find that the jack is promoted as the setting trick.
Draft additions September 2013
upper chamber n. (also with capital initials) = upper house n. at sense 17; cf. lower chamber n. at lower adj., n.1, and adv. Compounds 2b.
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society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > [noun] > a chamber or house of > upper
lower house1523
upper house1532
upper chamber1753
senate1776
state senate1791
second chamber1828
1753 London Daily Advertiser 22 May His Majesty on the 9th sent Letters de Cachet for every Member of the Parliament, ordering them into Banishment, so that, the Upper Chamber excepted, the whole Parliament is under Exile.
1771 Jrnls. House of Lords anno 1645 7 625/2 To the most Noble and most Honourable Lords of the Upper Chamber of the Parliament of England.
1796 T. Twining Trav. Amer. (1893) 52 From the hall of the Representatives, I went to that of the Senate, or Upper Chamber.
1860 E. Bulwer-Lytton in Q. Rev. Oct. 268/2 To implicate, not individual peers, but the Upper Chamber itself, as well as the Throne.
1988 Parl. Affairs 41 425 Early in November 1987 a vacancy occurred in the Legislative Council, the upper chamber of Tynwald.
2012 G. M. Kabaservice Rule & Ruin xii. 382 Republicans shed five incumbent Senators to throw the upper chamber into a 50–50 balance.
Draft additions June 2019
upper-class twit n. colloquial (depreciative) a member of the British upper classes characterized as silly, bumbling, ineffectual, or objectionable.First used in and widely popularized by a comedy sketch featured in the British television series Monty Python's Flying Circus (see quot. 1970).
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1970 G. Chapman et al. Monty Python's Flying Circus (transcribed from TV programme) 1st Ser. Episode 12 And so the final result. First, and Upper-class Twit of the Year: Gervaise Brook-Hampster of Kensington.
1987 Toronto Star (Nexis) 12 July c5 Barry MacGregor plays Lord Augustus Highcastle, a fussy upper-class twit who has been put in charge of recruiting in the fictional English town of Pifflington.
2007 P. Robinson in O. Penzler Dead Man's Hand 282 ‘What did you expect?’ ‘Oh, you know, some upper-class twit with a braying laugh and horsey teeth.’
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
upperadv.
/ˈʌpə/, U.S. /ˈəpər/ Now rare.
To or in a loftier place or position; higher, further up.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > [adverb] > higher
highereOE
upwarda1300
upperc1384
uppermorec1400
superiorly1556
upwards1577
superior1718
c1384 G. Chaucer Hous of Fame ii. 884 With this word, vpper to sore He gan.
c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) ii. §12. 24 As the sonne clymbith vppere & vppere.
a1552 J. Leland Itinerary (1711) III. 6 A litle Foreland about a Mile upper then Kenor on Severn.
a1557 J. Cheke tr. Gospel St. Matthew (1843) xxiii. 12 Whosoever abaseth himself schal be set vpper.
1901 Punch 21 Sept. 224/1 We go up, up, up, up, and upper, upper,..skirting..precipices.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
> see also
also refers to : -uppercomb. form
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n.11789
n.21968
adj.a1400adv.c1384see also