See top shelf in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "US: best, or high quality"
},
"expansion": "(US: best, or high quality):",
"name": "sense"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "British: material with adult content"
},
"expansion": "(British: material with adult content):",
"name": "sense"
}
],
"etymology_text": "* (US: best, or high quality): Possibly from the higher quality, thus more expensive, thus less often used liquors being stored on the less accessible top shelf behind a wet bar.\n* (British: material with adult content): Such material is often stored on the top shelf in a newsagent's shop, where it is both less visible and harder to reach without being seen.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "top-shelf",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "top shelf (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "American English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "48 40 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "48 41 12",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "48 37 16",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "I bought a bottle of top shelf whiskey.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Best, or high quality."
],
"id": "en-top_shelf-en-adj-Asu8~~ch",
"links": [
[
"Best",
"best"
],
[
"high",
"high"
],
[
"quality",
"quality"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(US, idiomatic) Best, or high quality."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "top notch"
},
{
"word": "excellent"
}
],
"tags": [
"US",
"idiomatic",
"not-comparable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "British English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "48 40 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "48 41 12",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2008, Rick Wakeman, Martin Roach, Grumpy Old Rock Star, →ISBN, page 83:",
"text": "Most of the band used to buy Autotrader to read on the various bus and plane journeys, but Barry would always turn up with a copy of Underwear Unlimited or some other seedy little top-shelf mag.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Describing books, magazines, or movies that have adult content or softcore pornography."
],
"id": "en-top_shelf-en-adj-n5LYrkKM",
"links": [
[
"book",
"book#English"
],
[
"magazine",
"magazine#English"
],
[
"movie",
"movie#English"
],
[
"adult",
"adult#English"
],
[
"softcore",
"softcore#English"
],
[
"pornography",
"pornography#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(British, idiomatic) Describing books, magazines, or movies that have adult content or softcore pornography."
],
"tags": [
"British",
"idiomatic",
"not-comparable"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-top shelf.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/00/En-au-top_shelf.ogg/En-au-top_shelf.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/En-au-top_shelf.ogg"
}
],
"word": "top shelf"
}
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "US: best, or high quality"
},
"expansion": "(US: best, or high quality):",
"name": "sense"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "British: material with adult content"
},
"expansion": "(British: material with adult content):",
"name": "sense"
}
],
"etymology_text": "* (US: best, or high quality): Possibly from the higher quality, thus more expensive, thus less often used liquors being stored on the less accessible top shelf behind a wet bar.\n* (British: material with adult content): Such material is often stored on the top shelf in a newsagent's shop, where it is both less visible and harder to reach without being seen.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "top shelves",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
},
{
"form": "top-shelf",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "top shelves"
},
"expansion": "top shelf (plural top shelves)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Canadian English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Ice hockey",
"orig": "en:Ice hockey",
"parents": [
"Hockey",
"Winter sports",
"Sports",
"Winter activities",
"Human activity",
"Winter",
"Human behaviour",
"Seasons",
"Human",
"Nature",
"Periodic occurrences",
"All topics",
"Time",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "48 40 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "48 41 12",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The upper part of the goal."
],
"id": "en-top_shelf-en-noun-86tqvc3l",
"links": [
[
"ice hockey",
"ice hockey"
],
[
"goal",
"goal"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(Canada, ice hockey) The upper part of the goal."
],
"tags": [
"Canada"
],
"topics": [
"hobbies",
"ice-hockey",
"lifestyle",
"skating",
"sports"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-top shelf.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/00/En-au-top_shelf.ogg/En-au-top_shelf.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/En-au-top_shelf.ogg"
}
],
"word": "top shelf"
}
{
"categories": [
"English adjectives",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English uncomparable adjectives",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "US: best, or high quality"
},
"expansion": "(US: best, or high quality):",
"name": "sense"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "British: material with adult content"
},
"expansion": "(British: material with adult content):",
"name": "sense"
}
],
"etymology_text": "* (US: best, or high quality): Possibly from the higher quality, thus more expensive, thus less often used liquors being stored on the less accessible top shelf behind a wet bar.\n* (British: material with adult content): Such material is often stored on the top shelf in a newsagent's shop, where it is both less visible and harder to reach without being seen.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "top-shelf",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "top shelf (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"American English",
"English idioms",
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "I bought a bottle of top shelf whiskey.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Best, or high quality."
],
"links": [
[
"Best",
"best"
],
[
"high",
"high"
],
[
"quality",
"quality"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(US, idiomatic) Best, or high quality."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "top notch"
},
{
"word": "excellent"
}
],
"tags": [
"US",
"idiomatic",
"not-comparable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"British English",
"English idioms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2008, Rick Wakeman, Martin Roach, Grumpy Old Rock Star, →ISBN, page 83:",
"text": "Most of the band used to buy Autotrader to read on the various bus and plane journeys, but Barry would always turn up with a copy of Underwear Unlimited or some other seedy little top-shelf mag.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Describing books, magazines, or movies that have adult content or softcore pornography."
],
"links": [
[
"book",
"book#English"
],
[
"magazine",
"magazine#English"
],
[
"movie",
"movie#English"
],
[
"adult",
"adult#English"
],
[
"softcore",
"softcore#English"
],
[
"pornography",
"pornography#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(British, idiomatic) Describing books, magazines, or movies that have adult content or softcore pornography."
],
"tags": [
"British",
"idiomatic",
"not-comparable"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-top shelf.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/00/En-au-top_shelf.ogg/En-au-top_shelf.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/En-au-top_shelf.ogg"
}
],
"word": "top shelf"
}
{
"categories": [
"English adjectives",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English uncomparable adjectives",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "US: best, or high quality"
},
"expansion": "(US: best, or high quality):",
"name": "sense"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "British: material with adult content"
},
"expansion": "(British: material with adult content):",
"name": "sense"
}
],
"etymology_text": "* (US: best, or high quality): Possibly from the higher quality, thus more expensive, thus less often used liquors being stored on the less accessible top shelf behind a wet bar.\n* (British: material with adult content): Such material is often stored on the top shelf in a newsagent's shop, where it is both less visible and harder to reach without being seen.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "top shelves",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
},
{
"form": "top-shelf",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "top shelves"
},
"expansion": "top shelf (plural top shelves)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"Canadian English",
"en:Ice hockey"
],
"glosses": [
"The upper part of the goal."
],
"links": [
[
"ice hockey",
"ice hockey"
],
[
"goal",
"goal"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(Canada, ice hockey) The upper part of the goal."
],
"tags": [
"Canada"
],
"topics": [
"hobbies",
"ice-hockey",
"lifestyle",
"skating",
"sports"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-top shelf.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/00/En-au-top_shelf.ogg/En-au-top_shelf.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/En-au-top_shelf.ogg"
}
],
"word": "top shelf"
}
Download raw JSONL data for top shelf meaning in English (4.4kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-02-21 using wiktextract (7c21d10 and f2e72e5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.