"upper crust" meaning in English

See upper crust in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

Audio: En-au-upper crust.ogg [Australia] Forms: more upper crust [comparative], most upper crust [superlative]
Rhymes: -ʌst Etymology: First known use as an idiom: 1836. Head templates: {{en-adj}} upper crust (comparative more upper crust, superlative most upper crust)
  1. Alternative form of upper-crust Tags: alt-of, alternative Alternative form of: upper-crust
    Sense id: en-upper_crust-en-adj-uZnkG5ix

Noun

Audio: En-au-upper crust.ogg [Australia] Forms: upper crusts [plural]
Rhymes: -ʌst Etymology: First known use as an idiom: 1836. Head templates: {{en-noun}} upper crust (plural upper crusts)
  1. (idiomatic, usually with the) The social elite, the highest social class. Tags: idiomatic, usually Categories (topical): Collectives Synonyms: upper class, the quality
    Sense id: en-upper_crust-en-noun-ZUTQNAxe Disambiguation of Collectives: 23 67 10 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 31 52 17 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 19 62 19 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 30 50 21
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see upper, crust. The topmost layer of a bread, pastry dish, or other item with a hardened coating. Derived forms: upper-crust
    Sense id: en-upper_crust-en-noun-h3a00Gp4

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for upper crust meaning in English (3.6kB)

{
  "etymology_text": "First known use as an idiom: 1836.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "upper crusts",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "upper crust (plural upper crusts)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "31 52 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "19 62 19",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "30 50 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 67 10",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Collectives",
          "orig": "en:Collectives",
          "parents": [
            "Miscellaneous",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1894, Mark Twain, “A Little Note to M. Paul Bourget”, in Essays on Paul Bourget",
          "text": "I judged from your remark about the diligence and industry of the high Parisian upper crust that it would have some point.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006 June 18, J. F. O. McAllister, “A New Kind of Elite”, in Time",
          "text": "Some accents reveal the distinctive bray of the upper crust, but most are generic middle class.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The social elite, the highest social class."
      ],
      "id": "en-upper_crust-en-noun-ZUTQNAxe",
      "links": [
        [
          "elite",
          "elite"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, usually with the) The social elite, the highest social class."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "with the"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "upper class"
        },
        {
          "word": "the quality"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "usually"
      ]
    },
    {
      "derived": [
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "word": "upper-crust"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see upper, crust. The topmost layer of a bread, pastry dish, or other item with a hardened coating."
      ],
      "id": "en-upper_crust-en-noun-h3a00Gp4",
      "links": [
        [
          "upper",
          "upper#English"
        ],
        [
          "crust",
          "crust#English"
        ],
        [
          "topmost",
          "topmost"
        ],
        [
          "bread",
          "bread"
        ],
        [
          "pastry",
          "pastry"
        ],
        [
          "dish",
          "dish"
        ],
        [
          "harden",
          "harden"
        ],
        [
          "coating",
          "coating"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌst"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-upper crust.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fc/En-au-upper_crust.ogg/En-au-upper_crust.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/En-au-upper_crust.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "upper crust"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "First known use as an idiom: 1836.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more upper crust",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most upper crust",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "upper crust (comparative more upper crust, superlative most upper crust)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "upper-crust"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of upper-crust"
      ],
      "id": "en-upper_crust-en-adj-uZnkG5ix",
      "links": [
        [
          "upper-crust",
          "upper-crust#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌst"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-upper crust.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fc/En-au-upper_crust.ogg/En-au-upper_crust.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/En-au-upper_crust.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "upper crust"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "Rhymes:English/ʌst",
    "Rhymes:English/ʌst/3 syllables",
    "en:Collectives"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "upper-crust"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "First known use as an idiom: 1836.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "upper crusts",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "upper crust (plural upper crusts)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1894, Mark Twain, “A Little Note to M. Paul Bourget”, in Essays on Paul Bourget",
          "text": "I judged from your remark about the diligence and industry of the high Parisian upper crust that it would have some point.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006 June 18, J. F. O. McAllister, “A New Kind of Elite”, in Time",
          "text": "Some accents reveal the distinctive bray of the upper crust, but most are generic middle class.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The social elite, the highest social class."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "elite",
          "elite"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, usually with the) The social elite, the highest social class."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "with the"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "upper class"
        },
        {
          "word": "the quality"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "usually"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see upper, crust. The topmost layer of a bread, pastry dish, or other item with a hardened coating."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "upper",
          "upper#English"
        ],
        [
          "crust",
          "crust#English"
        ],
        [
          "topmost",
          "topmost"
        ],
        [
          "bread",
          "bread"
        ],
        [
          "pastry",
          "pastry"
        ],
        [
          "dish",
          "dish"
        ],
        [
          "harden",
          "harden"
        ],
        [
          "coating",
          "coating"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌst"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-upper crust.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fc/En-au-upper_crust.ogg/En-au-upper_crust.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/En-au-upper_crust.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "upper crust"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "Rhymes:English/ʌst",
    "Rhymes:English/ʌst/3 syllables",
    "en:Collectives"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "First known use as an idiom: 1836.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more upper crust",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most upper crust",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "upper crust (comparative more upper crust, superlative most upper crust)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "upper-crust"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of upper-crust"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "upper-crust",
          "upper-crust#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌst"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-upper crust.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fc/En-au-upper_crust.ogg/En-au-upper_crust.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/En-au-upper_crust.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "upper crust"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). 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.