▪ I. ˈupper, n.1
[From upper a.]
1. a. That part of a boot or shoe above the sole and welt. Usu. pl.
| 1789 G. Parker Life's Painter of Variegated Characters 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 Adv. in 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. |
| attrib. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech., Upper-machines,..those for cutting out or preparing the uppers of boots or shoes. |
b. U.S. A cloth gaiter for wearing above the shoe over the ankle (
Cent. Dict. 1891).
c. In
fig. phr. (down) on one's uppers: in poor or reduced circumstances; having hard luck; also formerly
to walk (etc.) on one's uppers.
colloq. (
orig. U.S.).
| 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. s.v. 1895 Roberts & Morton Adv. Arthur 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. XXV. 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 Blackw. 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.
| 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. ellipt. for upper deck, storey, berth, etc.
| 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.
| 1877 Lumberman's Gazette 24 May, The finest stock of uppers to be found in the country. |
4. a. Public School slang. A pupil of the upper school.
| 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 [see pi-jaw n.]. |
b. colloq. An upper-class person.
| 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 [see lower a. (n.) 3 a]. 1968 Economist 27 Apr. p. v/1 The genuine uppers' genuine feeling of superiority. |
▪ II. ˈupper, n.2 slang (
orig. U.S.).
[f. up v. + -er1; cf. up a. 5.] 1. A drug (
esp. an amphetamine), often in the form of a pill, which has a stimulant or euphoric effect.
| 1968 Current Slang (Univ. S. Dakota) Fall 50 Upper, type of drug that makes you feel active. Amphetamine is a commonly used stimulant of this kind. 1969 Fabian & 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. transf. and
fig.| 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. |
▪ III. upper, a. (
ˈʌpə(r))
Also 4–6
vpper, 5–7
vper; 6
hoper.
[f. up a. + -er3. Cf. MDu. upper (Du. and Flem. opper), LG. upper, üpper, MSw., Norw. yppare, older Da. yppere, better.] Comparative of
up a., and signifying ‘higher’, ‘over’, ‘loftier’, ‘top’ (in contrast to
lower,
nether,
under). In some senses replacing the earlier
uver,
over adjs. I. 1. a. Occupying, comprising or consisting of, rising or more elevated ground (and
usu. further in the interior). Freq. in proper names of districts, etc.
| 13.. K. Alis. 5691 (Laud MS.), Þe kyng þennes went forþ..in to ynde in þe norþ, Þat is ycleped..þe vpper ynde. 1526 Tindale Acts xix. 1 Paul passed thorow the vpper costes and cam to Ephesus. 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus, Ann. xii. vii. (1622) 163 About the same time vpper Germany quaked with feare. 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. v. i. 3 You said the Enemy would..keepe the Hilles and vpper Regions. a 1660 Contemp. Hist. Irel. (Ir. Archæol. Soc.) I. 160 Either to Vper Ormond or the countie of Clare. a 1676 Hale Prim. Orig. Man. (1677) 219 If Inundations prevailed in Greece and those upper Countries, Egypt..could not easily escape them. 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Nimbis, The Nimbis is seen on the Medals..of the upper Empire. 1791 Geo. 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 Lyell Antiq. Man 43 For the river to bring down from the upper country so large a quantity of earthy matter. 1864– [see ward n.2 20]. |
b. Of peoples: Occupying a higher or more inland district.
| 1617 Moryson in C. L. Falkiner Illustr. Irish Hist. (1904) 215 The Iberni, called the upper Irish, inhabiting about Beer-haven and Baltimore. c 1790 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) 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.
Freq. in the proper names of hamlets, villages, etc.
| 1467 Rolls of Parlt. V. 586/2 Landes and Tenementes in Netherburneham, Upperburneham, West Wode. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxii. (Percy Soc.) 159 After this, dame Correccion..first..led me to the upper ward. 1611 Bible Joshua xv. 19 He gaue her the vpper springs, and the nether springs. 1687 Miége Gt. Fr. Dict. ii. s.v., The Upper Region of the Air. 1708 Watts Poems (1743) ii. 160 Around the golden Streets they rove, And bless the Mansions of the upper Skies. 1778 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 2) 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. Ibid. 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. 296 [She] thought herself in the upper regions, where happiness..consisted of perpetual admiration. 1819 Shelley Peter Bell 3rd ii. vii, Each had an upper stream of thought. 1857 Hawthorne Eng. Note-bks. (1870) II. 414 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. 1873 Geikie Phys. Geog. §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’. |
| fig. 1647 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. lvii. 166 To make him yet more bold, he had the upper ground of the heire. |
d. Occupying or forming (part of) the higher or highest portion or division of a building.
| 1522–3 Rec. St. Mary at Hill 317 A chest in the vpper vestry. 1557 Bible (Genev.) Acts i. 13 They went vp into an vpper chamber. 1597 J. Payne Royal Exch. 15 The thrid sort be retaylers in the vpper shopps. 1611 Florio, Soprastanza, an vpper-lodging. 1665 in Verney Mem. (1907) II. 247 A lower and an upper chamber. 1764 Harmer Observ. 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. |
| fig. 1647 Trapp Comm. 2 Cor. v. 1 In the wonderful frame of man's body the bones are the timber work, the head the upper-lodging. 1699– [see story n.2 1 c]. 1796 [see garret n.1 3]. 1870 Brewer Dict. Phrase & Fable 924/1 ‘Ill-furnished in the upper story’; a head without brains. 1877 Holderness Gloss. 152/1 He's a bit wake (weak) iv his upper-garret. |
| Comb. 1697 Dryden æneis Ded. e 3 b, Our Upper-Gallery Audience in a Play-House. |
2. a. With partitive terms,
esp. end,
part,
side.
Occas. hyphened or as one word, as
† upperhand,
upperside.
| 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop 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. c 1489 ― Blanchardyn xlvi. 178 The noble mayden..ryght fyersli..began to loke vpon hym, drawyng herselfe to the vpperhande of hym. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 3 b, The vpper parte of this foresayd ymage. 1568 Freiris Berwik 22 The tovne,..the castell and the land, The he wallis vpoun the vpper hand. 1570 Billingsley Euclid xi. xxix. 341 Lines..which ioyne together the angles of the vpper and nether bases. a 1600 in Child Ballads II. 245/2 A grave, a grave,..to put these lovers in; But lay my lady on the upper hand. 1674 Hooke Animadv. 52 The upper side thereof must be plained exactly smooth and flat. 1731 P. Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Melo, The Upperside of the Hot⁓beds where your early Melons..are planted. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1780), Down-haul,..a rope..tied to the upper-corner of the sail. 1778 F. Burney Evelina xxi, Driving us to the upper end of Piccadilly. 1805 R. Jameson Char. Min. (1816) 204 When..[the crystal] has upon its upper and under parts, faces that alternate with each other. 1868 Rep. U.S. Commissioner Agric. (1869) 360 The well and the opening in the upper side [of the road]. 1886 J. Barrowman Sc. Mining Terms 69 The upper portion of a [coal] seam. |
b. Of surfaces.
† upperface = superficies.
| 1583 Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. B 3, Then came there fire..and consumed them all, from the vpper face of the earth. 1594 Blundevil Exerc. iii. (1597) 128 b, Superficies or vpper⁓face, is that which onely hath length and breadth. 1596 Edward III, i. ii. 152 Where the vpper turfe of earth doth boast His..party colloured cost, Delue there. 1611 Cotgr., Rez,..the superficies, or vpper face of a plaine, or leuell peece of ground. 1728 Bradley Dict. Bot. s.v. Marrubium, Leaves..smooth and woolly underneath.., but somewhat..rugged on the Upperside. 1733 Tull Horse-hoeing Husb. 404 The Upper-surface of the Fore-end of the Beam. 1826 Kirby & Sp. Entomol. III. 364 Facies,..the upper surface of the head. 1884 Coues Key N. Amer. Birds 110 The upper and under surfaces of the wing. |
3. a. That forms the higher of a pair of corresponding things or sets. Also
occas. = uppermost. Hence
fig. in
phr. (crushed, etc.) between the upper and the nether millstones, between two irreconcilable opposing forces.
upper-case, Printing (
quots. 1683–): see
case n.2 9.
| c 1460 upper crust [see 13 a]. 1524 State Papers Hen. VIII, II. 117 He shall endevour hymself to cause the Kynges subjectes..to have the upper berdes to be shaven. 1530 Tindale Deut. xxiv. 6 No man shall take the nether or the vpper milstone to pledge. 1533 MS. Rawl. D. 776 fol. 157 b, The vpper fflowryng of the same wharffe. 1609 Bible (Douay) Exod. xii. 22 Sprinkle the uppertransome of the doore therwith. Ibid. 23 The bloud on the uppersil, and on both the postes. 1611 Cotgr. s.v. Espée, The vpper boords of a Vine-presse. 1683 Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing ii. §3. 19 The Whole Vpper-Case is divided into Ninety eight square Boxes. 1726 Swift Gulliver ii. vii, I first mounted to the upper step of the ladder [= a movable pair of stairs]. 1833 Loudon Encycl. Archit. § 691 The two upper branches or rails of the trunk, or upright piece. 1852 Seidel Organ 37 A couple of bellows..consist first of an upper and under board. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 708 Upper masts, the top-mast, topgallant-mast, and royal-mast. 1873 Routledge's Yng. Gentl. Mag. July 503/1 An upper-iron being screwed on to the lower one to turn the shaving back a little. |
| fig. 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. |
| Comb. 1738 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Letter, Printers distinguish their letters into capital..or upper-case letters,..and..small, or under-case letters. 1771 Luckombe Hist. Print. 261 [These letters] are not reckoned..among Upper-case Sorts. |
b. spec. in
Anat., etc. (
Cf. superior a. 11.)
| 1546 [see 18 a]. 1548 Vicary Anat. v. (1577) F ij b, The bones or bony partes, fyrste of the Cheekes be two;..of the vpper Mandible, two. 1610 Healey St. Aug. Citie of God 335 [The] crocodile..moueth his vpper chappe. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. 108 It conveyeth it into the duodenum or upper gut, thence into the lower bowells. 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Maxillæ, The..Upper Jaw, is immoveable in Man. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. V. 274 The upper chap [of the parrot], as well as the lower, are both moveable. 1826 Kirby & Sp. 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 Coues N. Amer. Birds 110 The upper Primary coverts, or coverts of the primaries. |
| Comb. 1879 Ruskin St. Mark's Rest Suppl. ii. 20 The man's thigh and upper-arm bones. 1896 Godey's Mag. April 430/1 His upper-limb muscles. |
c. Upper Bench, the name during the exile of Charles II of the
King's Bench. Now
Hist.| 1649 Acts Interregnum (1911) II. 108 Three or more of the Justices of the upper Bench. 1651 in Kitchin's Jurisdictions (1653) 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. a 1675 Whitelocke Mem. (1682) 375 Voted [on 12 Feb. 1649] that the Kings-Bench Court should be called the Upper Bench. |
d. orange upperwing, a European noctuid moth,
Hoporina croceago.
| 1832 Rennie Brit. Butterfl. & Moths 85 The Orange Upperwing..appears in September;..first pair [of wings] golden orange..; second pair white. 1869 E. Newman Brit. Moths 373/1. |
4. † a. upper-stock: (see
stock n.1 40). Usu.
pl.| 1535 in Archaeologia IX. 251 A paire of upper stockis of purple veluette,..also..a newe paire of nether stockis. 1542 Nottingham Rec. III. 220 One peyr blacke hoys, the upper stokes blake velvet. c 1570 Pride & Lowl. (1841) 19 His upper stockes of sylken grogerane. 1606 G. W[oodcocke] Hist. Ivstine xxxviii. 118 He conueyed a dagger in the vpperstock of his hose. [1821 Scott Kenilw. xxxi, 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. 5 a.)
Freq. from 1579 to 1625 in
upper body.
| 1579 Aldeburgh Rec. in N. & Q. 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. 1625 Fletcher Fair Maid ii. ii, Nothing but her vpper 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 S{uacu}dra women. 1895 C. Silvester Horne Story of L.M.S. 298 In 1858, the ‘upper cloth’ riots broke out again. |
5. a. Of garments, etc.: Worn above or outside another; outer, exterior;
= over a. 1 b. (
Cf. 4 b.)
| 1526 Tyndale John xiii. 4 Iesus..layde a syde hys vpper garments. 1547 in Feuillerat Revels Edw. VI (1914) 10 Thupper & nether Baces & thunder sleves of clothe of golde. 1598 Florio, Sourafodro, a false vpper scabbard. 1611 ―, Soprabenda, an vpper scarfe. 1615 Sandys Trav. 14 Their arme-pits: from whence the skirts flow loosely, fringed below; the vpper shorter than the neather. 1645 Rutherford Tri. Faith 305 Christ clothed with love,..and yet his upper garment is vengeance. 1686 Lond. Gaz. No. 2193/4 A brown coloured upper Coat. 1759 Johnson Rasselas xxxviii, When my upper vest was taken off. 1778 C. Reeve Old English Baron 84 You may take off her upper garments, and any thing of value. 1796 Grose's Dict. Vulgar T. (ed. 3), Upper Benjamin, a great coat. 1812 J. H. Vaux Flash Dict., Upper-Ben, Upper-Benjamin, Upper-Tog, a great coat. 1819 Scott Ivanhoe ii, The upper dress of this personage resembled that of his companion in shape. 1850 Thackeray Pendennis iii, A white upper-coat ornamented with cheese⁓plate buttons. |
| fig. a 1634 Chapman Bussy d'Ambois v. (1641) 65 Note what he wants? He wants his upper weed, He wants his life, and body. |
| Comb. 1840 Thackeray Pict. Rhapsody Wks. 1899 XIII. 350 A hideous dress, with upper-Benjamin buttons. |
b. Furthest removed from the door or entrance; innermost. Usually with
end (
cf. 2).
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. ix. 27 Thence she them brought into a stately Hall... At th' upper end there sate..a comely personage. a 1613 Overbury Newes Misc. Wks. (1890) 191 The best company makes the upper end of the table, and not the salt-cellar. 1667 Milton P.L. x. 446 His high Throne..at th' upper end Was plac't in regal lustre. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 109 ¶1 We were now arrived at the Upper-end of the Gallery. 1819 Scott Ivanhoe iii, The walls of this upper end of the hall. |
| fig. a 1672 Wilkins Nat. Relig. 331 So only those at the upper end of the world are capable of being counted rich. 1714 R. Fiddes Pract. Disc. ii. 157 Sometimes the most profligate sinners are seated at the upper end of the world. |
6. a. Said of the surface of the earth and things upon it, in contrast to the under or nether regions.
| 1667 Milton P.L. x. 422 For those Appointed to sit there, had left thir charge, Flown to the upper World. 1679 C. Nesse Antichrist Ded., You may improve this upper-ground whereon you stand. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 699 The lovely Bride In safety goes,..Longing the common Light again to share, And draw the vital breath of upper Air. 1815 Wordsw. Artegal & Elidure 53 Of Arthur,—who, to upper light restored,..Shall lift his country's fame above the polar star! 1822 Byron Vis. Judgm. xii, He's dead—and upper earth with him has done; He's buried. 1887 Browning Apollo & Fates 10 The Fates. (Below. Darkness.).. We..Deal to each mortal his dole of light On earth—the upper, the glad, the bright. |
| Comb. 1862 Smiles Engineers III. 9 The upper-ground workmen employed at the coal-pits. |
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 13 b, greensand 1,
oolite 2–3,
Silurian a. 2 b.
| 1696 Whiston The. Earth 77 Our upper strata..being generally factitious, or acquir'd at the Universal Deluge. 1733 Tull Horse-Hoeing Husb. 251 The..Hills whereof the Upper-Stratum (or Staple) is Mould. c 1775 in Encycl. Brit. (ed. 2) IV. 2526/1 If a ditch..penetrate through the upper stratum of clay. 1839 Murchison Silur. Syst. xlv. 605 The Ludlow and Wenlock Formations, or Upper Silurian Rocks. 1852 Sedgwick in London Lit. Gazette 338/3 A part of my Upper Cambrian series. 1873 Dawson Earth & Man iv. 56 The Lower Silurian is the Upper Cambrian of Sedgwick. 1873 E. Hull Coal-fields Gt. Brit. (ed. 3) 192 The strata overlying the ‘Upper-foot’, or ‘Bullion-coal’. 1886 J. Barrowman Sc. Mining Terms 69 Upper-leaf, the upper portion of a seam which is separated by a parting into two portions. |
| fig. 1859 G. Meredith R. Feverel xix, Tossed into the upper stratum of civilized life. 1877, 1890 [see stratum 6]. |
| Comb. 1865 Lubbock Preh. Times 299 The height at which the upper-level gravels stand above the present water-line. 1890 Science-Gossip XXVI. 146 The upper limestone masses. |
7. Occurring or taking place in, directed towards, a higher or the highest position.
upper cut: (
a) in
Pugilism (see
quot. 1897); also as
v. trans.; (
b) in
Cricket, a cut that sends the ball up (
obs. exc. humorously).
| 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts 402 An vpper attaint or ouer⁓reach vpon the backe sinnew of the shanke. 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Attaint, The Farriers distinguish upper Attaints, given by the Toe of the Hind-foot upon the sinew of the Fore-leg,—And nether Attaints. 1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 135 The further admission of steam to that side during the upper stroke [of the piston]. 1842 Spirit of Times 17 Sept. 339/2 Giving him a sharp upper cut as he fell. 1856 Sat. Rev. II. 658/2 Resorting to means of defence against which cross-buttocks and upper-cuts..will do very little good indeed. 1850 in Mem. T. Sayers (1858) 21 Sayers..hit short at Collins with his left, who upper⁓cut him sharply, and slipped down. 1865 F. Lillywhite's Guide to Cricketers 128 [He] has..made some good scores this year, his ‘upper cut’ being particularly effective. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 708 Upper transit, the passage of a circumpolar star over the meridian above the pole. 1872 Baily's Mag. June 44 Smith's plucky innings was considerably helped by hits known as ‘upper cuts’. 1897 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. 8. a. Occupying a higher (or the highest) position, station, or rank; superior in authority, place, etc.
Cf. upstairs a. c.
| 1477 Extr. Aberd. Reg. (1844) I. 36 That Alexander..be continevit vpper and principale maister of wark. 1526 Tindale Acts xxii. 26 The vnder captayne..went to the vpper captayne, and tolde hym. 1561 in Maitl. Club Misc. III. 209 We hawe command of ye vppir poweris to put the same in executione. 1647 Bury Wills (Camden) 195 At the disposing of..God, whoe is the onely supreme and vpper Lord of all. 1710 Steele Tatler No. 180 ¶4 The Abatement which they suffer when paid, by the Extortion of Upper Servants. 1771 Luckombe Hist. Print. 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 Ibid. 24 Mar. (1924) II. 65 Betty, my Upper Maid stayed at home being Washing Week. a 1817 Jane Austen Persuasion (1818) III. vi. 102 Her upper-housemaid and laundry-maid. 1836–9 Dickens Sk. Boz, Gt. Winglebury Duel, I am the upper-boots..; the other man's my man, as..does odd jobs. 1847 C. Brontë J. Eyre v, One of the upper teachers..installed herself at the top of one table. 1862 Trollope Orley F. II. 248, ‘I was housemaid at Orley Farm.’ ‘Were you upper or under there?’ 1872 [see quaver v. 3 b]. 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.
Freq. since
c 1890,
esp. with
class (
cf. class n. 2). 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 a.
and n. as main entry. Also
upper bourgeois.
| 1825 J. Wilson in Blackw. Mag. March 373, I wad aiblins introduce the upper ranks intil the wark. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. i. vii. ii, The best-informed Upper-Circles. 1839 ― Chartism v, The oppressing or neglecting upper classes. 1844– [see 20 a]. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Universities, 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 Harrisson & 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 & Society 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 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. |
| Comb. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. ii. v. ix, The riband-cockade, as a sympton of Feuillant Upper-class temper. 1890 Spectator 3 May, The upper-class Arabs and Turks. 1897 M. Kingsley W. Africa 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. |
| absol. 1898 G. Meredith Odes Fr. Hist. 12 They, the triumphant tonant towering upper, were under; They, violators of home, dared hope an inviolate home. 1967 N. Freeling Strike out where not Applicable 74 She was too much upper to say cheers. |
c. upper-bracket adj., belonging to or characteristic of the higher section of a (social) scale; upper-class, wealthy, influential;
cf. (
income)
bracket s.v. bracket n. 5 c; also
upper-income adj.| [1943 Upper bracket: see bracket n. 5 c.] 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. 8a/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.
| 1629 Wadsworth Pilgr. iii. 15 The Students of the three vnder schooles, go vp to those of the vpper. 1740 J. Clarke Educ. Youth (ed. 3) 209 The Boys of the upper Classes may be admitted. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones ii. iii, His scholars were divided into two classes, in the upper of which was a young gentleman [etc.]. 1857 Hughes Tom Brown i. viii, Three unhappy fellows..whom the Doctor and the master of the form were always endeavouring to hoist into the Upper school. |
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.
| 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 Oxford Times 25 June 11/3 He decided he wanted to see America, after graduating at Oxford with an Upper Second in Geography. |
10. a. Of a higher, better, more excellent, or more comprehensive quality; superior.
| a 1586 Sidney De Mornay 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 Golding Ibid. 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. 1831 Carlyle Sart. Res. ii. ix, 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. |
† b. upper fortune, the upper hand (
cf. 16).
| 1613 Fletcher Honest Man's Fort. i. ii, Since You have the upper fortune of him, 'twill Be some dishonor to you to bear your self With any pride or glory over him. |
11. Constituting or producing a higher tone, note, or notes.
| 1843 Penny Cycl. XXVI. 418/2 The upper or female voice part of the scale. Ibid. 419/1 The extreme upper notes of the falsetto. 1880 Grove's Dict. Music II. 654/1 The difficulty of hearing the upper partial tones. 1895 Funk's Stand. Dict., Upper-keyboard, the right-hand side of the keyboard. 1896 A. J. Hipkins Pianoforte 122 Upper Partial, any partial or simple division of a compound vibrating string that is above the first, or Fundamental. |
III. Special collocations.
12. upper air = upper atmosphere;
upper atmosphere, the upper part of the earth's atmosphere; now
spec. that above the troposphere;
upper berth U.S., the higher of two bunks set one above the other,
usu. in a boat, sleeping-car, etc.;
upper circle, the tier of seats above the dress circle in a theatre;
cf. circle n. 11 b;
upperclassman U.S., a junior or senior student in school or college (as
opp. freshman).
| [1877 Q. Jrnl. Meteorol. Soc. III. 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 Ibid. XXI. 182 The scheme of exploring the upper air by means of small balloons was first proposed by Geheimrat A. Meydenbaur. 1957 Encycl. Brit. XXII. 883b/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 G. B. Navarra Atmosphere, Weather & Climate x. 357 Aircraft provide a highly mobile way of gathering data in the upper air. |
| 1895 Q. Jrnl. R. Meteorol. Soc. XXI. 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 4 Years at Yale 70 Only a few upper-class men will be found there. 1897 Flandrau Harvard Episodes 202 If they happened to be upper classmen. 1933 F. Scott 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. |
13. upper crust:
a. The top crust of a loaf. Also
transf. † b. The exterior or surface layer of the earth.
c. slang. The human head; a hat.
d. dial. (See
quot.)
e. (See
quot. 1848.) Freq.
attrib. or as adj. colloq. (
orig. U.S.).
f. Hence
upper-crusty a., aristocratic, (socially) superior.
| a. c 1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 342 Kutt þe vpper crust [of the loaf] for youre souerayne. 1542 Boorde Dyetary xi. (1877) 261 Wherfore chyp the vpper crust of your breade. 1591 A. W. Bk. Cookrye 10 b, Put therto a peece of vpper crust of white bread. 1768 W. Donaldson Life B. 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 Dom. Amusem. 32 Alum throws up a flowery paleness upon the whole upper crust. 1868 Furnivall Babees Bk. 271 margin, The upper crust of a fine loaf. |
| b. 1555 Eden Decades 234 An other kynde of Rubies..found in the mountaynes in the vpper crust or floure of the earth. 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. (1681) 230 It..doth not bury the upper-crust of the ground so deep as usually is done by digging. 1696 Whiston The. Earth 53 Such an Upper Crust or Shell of Earth on the face of the Abyss. 1762 Mills Syst. Pract. Husb. I. 39 When the upper crust of the earth is removed, all that can be seen, or dug, is marle. |
| c. 1826 Sporting Mag. XVIII. 253 Tom completely tinkered his antagonist's upper-crust. 1829 P. Egan Boxiana 2nd Ser. II. 461 Ward..threw his upper-crust into the ring. 1832 ― 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. 1854 A. E. Baker Northampt. Gloss. 371 ‘Mrs. Upper Crust,’ a fictitious designation for any female who assumes unauthorised superiority. |
| e. 1836 Haliburton Clockm. xxviii, It was none o' your skim-milk parties, but superfine uppercrust real jam. 1843 ― Sam Slick in Eng. xxiv, I want you to see Peel,..Macaulay, old Joe, and so on. These men are all upper crust here. 1848 Bartlett Dict. Amer. 370 Upper crust, the aristocracy, the higher circles. 1850 J. F. Cooper Ways of Hour vi. I. 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. 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, the highest continuous deck of a ship. (
Orig. the higher of two decks, in contrast to the
lower.)
| 1591 Raleigh Last Fight Reuenge B 3, Sir Richard..was neuer so wounded as that hee forsooke the vpper decke. 1598 Florio Dict. To Rdr. 9, I was but one to sit at sterne, to pricke my carde, to watch vpon the vpper decke. 1626 Capt. Smith Accidence Yng. Seamen 10 The vpper Decke should be layd with so many beames as are fitting with knees to bind them. a 1687 Petty Treat. Naval Philos. i. i, The Hull under the said upper Deck is divided into the Cavity or Hold [etc.]. 1758 J. Blake Plan Mar. Syst. 2, It is proposed, that..guns run out on the upper deck only. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) s.v. Deep-waisted, To leave a vacant space, called the waist, 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. |
| fig. a 1613 Overbury Characters, Saylor Wks. (1890) 75 Nothing but hunger and hard rockes can convert him, and then but his upper decke neither; for his hold neither feares nor hopes. |
| attrib. 1709 Lond. 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. |
15. upper dog. [After
underdog.] The victorious party in a contest; the one who has the upper hand or a position of superiority.
Cf. overdog.
rare.
| 1903 G. Bowles in Parl. Debates 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:
a. The mastery, control, or advantage (
of, or
over, a person, people, etc.); predominance, rule, or dominion. Usu.
const. with verbs, as
attain,
gain,
get,
have,
obtain.
Cf. the earlier
over-hand n., uver-hand. (Freq.
c 1560–
c 1600.)
b. A person or party in power or authority.
c. The place of authority or honour; preference, precedence. (Usu. with
give or
take.)
| a. 1481 Tiptoft Tulle of Old Age (Caxton) g viij b, Marcus Attilius..had the vppirhande and victorye of the men of cartage. 1535 Coverdale Ps. ix. 19 Vp Lorde, let not man haue the vpper hande. 1576 Gascoigne Steele Gl. (Arb.) 64 Downe goeth al, where they [sc. soldiers] get vpper hand. a 1616 Beaum. & Fl. Little Fr. Lawyer i. i, I have seen fools, and fighters, chain'd together, And the Fighters had the upper hand, and whipt first, The poor Sots laughing at 'em. 1690 Somers Vind. Proc. Late Parlt. 10 The Jacobites, and the Malecontents..might perhaps get the upper hand, if not prevented in time. 1742 Young Nt. Th. iii. 479 Where ev'ry ranger of the wilds, perhaps Each reptile, justly claims our upper hand. 1743 Pococke Descr. East I. 177 When the Greeks got the upper hand,..they treated them with great rigour. 1838 Dickens O. Twist xv, I've got the upper⁓hand over you. 1861 Ld. Brougham Brit. Const. xiii. 195 They blindly followed the dictates of the faction which had the upper-hand. 1865 Mrs. Carlyle Lett. (1883) III. 303, I decided to take the upper hand with her, and keep it. |
| transf. (of things). 1535 Coverdale Wisdom x. 5 Whan wickednes had gotten y⊇ vpper-hande, so y{supt} the nacions were puft vp with pryde. 1546 Bp. Gardiner Detect. Devil's Sophistrie 16 Whiles the bely hath the vpperhande amonge a greate many. 1579 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 87 Summer gettith the upperhande of wynter, and wynter agayne of summer. 1622 Peacham Compl. Gent. xv. 186 Hereby the minde getteth the dominion and vpperhand. 1712 Pope Spect. No. 408 ¶3 If a Man suffers them [sc. the passions] to get the upper hand. 1796 F. Burney Camilla I. 289 Sir Hugh..said it never broke out from him but by accident, which..should never get the upper hand again. 1873 Mrs. Oliphant Innocent III. 160 The natural honesty to which he had appealed gained the upper hand. 1885 Manch. Exam. 29 June 5/1 The worst tendencies of the party will gain the upper hand. |
| b. 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VI, 126 The poore inhabitauntes..were..compelled to yeilde and rendre theimselfes, to the more power, and vpper hande. 1606 Sir G. Goosecappe i. iv, One of these painted communities, that are rauisht with Coaches, and vpper hands. |
| c. 1580–3 Greene Mamillia Wks. (Grosart) II. 49 If by chaunce the Vestal virgins walkt abroad, the Senators would giue them the vpper hand. 1598 Hakluyt Voy. I. 68 They..gaue vs and Duke Ieroslaus the vpper hand, when we were abroad in their companie. 1662 J. Davies tr. Olearius' Voy. Ambass. 9 The Priestaf gave the Ambassadours the upper Hand, and conducted them to the Inn. 1663 Pepys Diary 25 Jan., A late dispute between my Lord Chesterfield..and Mr. Edward Montagu..who should have the precedence in taking the Queen's upper-hand abroad out of the house. 1715 Lond. Gaz. No. 5329/1 The Empress..gave the upper Hand to the [Dowager] Empress Amalia. 1746 Francis tr. Hor., Sat. ii. v. 26 Yet wait upon him, at his least command, And always bid him take the upper hand. 1809 Malkin Gil Blas vii. ii. ¶9 [At] the second table..the whole household..insisted on giving me the upper hand. |
| fig. 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, iv. iv. 37 If ancient sorrow be most reuerent, Giue mine the benefit of signeurie, And let my greefes frowne on the vpper hand. |
d. adv. (See
quots., and
cf. underhand adv. 2 c.)
| 1771 Luckombe Hist. Print. 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 Jacobi Printers' Vocab. s.v. |
e. Hence
upperhandism.
nonce-wd. [
-ism 2 b.]
| 1845 E. B. Barrett Lett. to R. Browning (1899) I. 26 The curious thing in this world is not the stupidity, but the upperhandism of the stupidity. |
17. upper house, a higher house of deliberation or legislation,
esp. the House of Lords.
| 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. a 1577 Sir T. Smith Commonw. Eng. ii. ii. (1584) 38 Besides the Chauncelor, there is one in the vpper house who is called Clarke of the Parliament. 1640 Yorke Union Hon. 66 Which was concluded in the upperhouse of Parliament. a 1670 Hacket Abp. Williams ii. (1693) 180 The Bishops..intended that this Petition..should be preferred to the King..in the Upper House of Parliament. 1708 J. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. ii. (1710) 481 A List of the Members of the Upper-House of Convocation. 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Convocation, Things are first usually propos'd in the upper House; then communicated to the lower. 1818 Bentham Ch. Eng. p. x, The Lower House was indeed untaxable. But the Upper House..taxed themselves. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 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 Lowe Bismarck I. 293 The Lower Chamber would not yield an inch to the Crown and the Upper House. |
| attrib. 1610 Bolton Elem. Armories 150 Or should I not doe wrong to Campes, and Parliaments, robbing souldiers, and vpper-house men of their colour? |
18. upper leather:
a. Leather forming the upper of a boot or shoe; also,
= upper n.1 1.
b. Sheet-leather suitable or prepared for such.
| a. 1528 Roy Rede me (Arb.) 82 Ief. To mangill their good shues so, Me thynketh it but folisshnes. Wat. They cutt but the vpper ledder. 1603–4 Act 1 Jas. I, c. 22 §23 The upper Leather of any Shooes, Startups, &c. 1708 Ockley Saracens I. 142 Those who had strong Boots on,..had the Soals torn off from the Upper-Leathers. 1759 Phil. Trans. LI. 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 Thackeray Laman Blanchard Wks. 1899 XIII. 467 Persons who..polish their upper-leathers as well as they can. 1872 T. Hardy Under Greenw. Tree ii. ii, The upper-leather of a Wellington-boot. |
| fig. 1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler (title-p.), Willing to help 'mend his Native Country, lamentably tattered, both in the upper-Leather and sole. |
| b. 1629 Leather 12 The..strongest, which might..serue both for sooling leather and vpper leather. Ibid. 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:
a. The lip on the upper side of the mouth; the superior lip of a person, animal, or insect.
b. The higher of the two edges of an organ-pipe mouth.
c. Bot. The superior or upper division of a bilabiate corolla or calyx.
d. spec. (See
underlip 1 b.)
| a. 1546 J. Heywood Prov. (1867) 77 He can yll pype, that lacth his vpper lyp. 1596 Spenser State Irel. Wks. (Globe) 635/1 That noe man shall weare his bearde but onely on the upper lipp like muschachoes. 1611 Bible Lev. xiii. 45 The leper..shall put a couering vpon his vpper lip. 1670 Milton Hist. Eng. vi. 304 The English then useing to let grow on their upper-lip large Mustachio's. 1704 Dict. Rust. s.v. Rules buying Horses, If his Upper-Lip will not reach his Nether. 1748 Richardson Clarissa VI. 387 Which made John's upper-lip..rise to his nose. 1758 J. S. tr. Le Dran's Observ. Surg. (1771) 42 It possessed the whole Upper-Lip. 1815 Massachusetts Spy 14 June 4/4, I kept a stiff upper lip, and bought license to sell my goods. 1826 Kirby & Sp. Entomol. III. xxxiii. 355 Labrum (the Upper-lip), a usually moveable organ; which..is situate between the Mandibulæ. 1833– [see lip n. 2, stiff a. 11]. 1836 Yarrell Brit. Fishes I. 378 [The loach] with four barbules or cirri..on the upper lip in the front. 1849 C. Brontë Shirley xxiii, He had the shorter nose and longer upper-lip of his sister. |
| b. 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Organ, Over this Aperture is the Mouth..; whose upper Lip.., being level, cuts the Wind as it comes out at the Aperture. 1852 Seidel Organ 78 The upper lip..forming, together with the under lip, the mouth of the pipe. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 1709/2 The lower edge of the leaf is termed the upper lip. |
| c. 1731 Miller Gard. Dict., Salvia..hath a labiated Flower, consisting of one Leaf, whose Upper-lip is sometimes arched. 1793 Martin Lang. Bot., Galea (an helmet), the upper lip of a ringent corolla. 1796 Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) III. 555 Digitalis purpurea... Segments of the calyx egg-shaped, acute:..upper lip nearly entire. 1807 J. E. Smith Phys. Bot. 434 Ajuga [has] scarcely any upper lip at all. |
20. a. upper ten, the upper classes; the aristocracy.
colloq. Orig. (
U.S.)
upper ten thousand.
| (a) 1844 N. P. Willis in Even. Mirror (N.Y.) 11 Nov. 2/1 At present there is no distinction among the upper ten thousand of the city. 1861 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 15 May 187/2 There was no grievance on the part of the ‘upper ten thousand’. |
| (b) 1846 A. J. H. Duganne Daguerreotype Miniature 20 Major Peyton Florence was held in great reverence by the ‘upper ten’. 1848 Bartlett Dict. Amer. 370 The upper ten thousand, and contracted, the upper ten,..the upper circles of our large cities. 1860 W. H. Russell 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 Lond. of To-day xxxii. (ed. 3) 294 Clubs of some note..patronized by the ‘upper ten’. [1890 Rider Haggard Beatrice xi, Plenty of carriages, and other needful things, including of course the entrée to the upper celestial ten.] |
| transf. 1879 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. |
b. Hence
upper-tendom = upper ten. Chiefly
U.S.| 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 Doesticks 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 uppertendom, 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:
a. That part of a vessel which is above water-level when it is ready or laden for a voyage;
= dead-work 1. (Also
† upper work.)
b. The higher portion of a structure.
c. slang. The head; the mental capacity.
| a. 1591 Raleigh Last Fight Reuenge B 3 b, The mastes all beaten ouer board,..her vpper worke altogither rased. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. xi. 52 She is brought in narrow to her vpper workes. 1693 Lond. 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 Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 270 To caulk the Ship's Upper-Works and Decks. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (s.v.), Upper-work. 1798 Nelson in Nicolas Disp. (1845) III. 106 The Sérieuse was set on fire to burn her upper works which were above water. c 1850 Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 157 Upper works,..all that part which may be considered as separated from the bottom by the main wale. 1898 Kipling Fleet in Being i. 7 The battleships overtook us, their white upperworks showing like icebergs as they topped the sea-line. |
| fig. 1751 Smollett Per. Pic. vi, I'd have you take care of your upper works; for if once you are made fast to her poop, egad, she'll..make every beam in your body crack with straining. |
| b. 1791 Smeaton Edystone L. §60 The object was to repair or restore the Upper Works. |
| c. 1809 Malkin Gil Blas iii. iii. ¶12 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 Sir J. P. Kay-Shuttleworth Scarsdale II. 299 Oi'm i' gradely fettle..i' th' upper warks. |
Add:
[I.] [7.] upper cut, also as
v. intr. (
pa. t.
usu. uppercut).
| 1909 Webster 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. |
(
c) 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. intr. and
trans.| 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. |
▪ IV. ˈupper, adv. Now
rare.
[f. up adv.1 or adv.2 + -er3.] To or in a loftier place or position; higher, further up.
| c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame ii. 884 With this word, vpper to sore He gan. c 1391 ― Astrol. ii. §12 As the sonne clymbith vppere & vppere. c 1550 Cheke Matt. xxiii. 12 Whosoever abaseth himself schal be set vpper. a 1552 Leland Itin. (1711) III. 6 A litle Foreland about a Mile upper then Kenor on Severn. 1901 Punch 21 Sept. 224/1 We go up, up, up, up, and upper, upper,..skirting..precipices. |