- Home
- Idioms
- upper
upper
get the upper hand
To come to be in a position of advantage, power, and/or control (over someone, something, or some situation). We've been doing everything we can for your father, but I'm afraid the cancer is getting the upper hand. The home team got the upper hand when their opponents' star quarterback went out with an injury.
gain the upper hand
To come to be in a position of advantage, power, and/or control (over someone, something, or some situation). We've been doing everything we can for your father, but I'm afraid the cancer is gaining the upper hand. The home team gained the upper hand when their opponents' star quarterback went out with an injury.
down on (one's) uppers
Having no money; broke. The phrase was originally used to describe people who were so poor that they had worn their shoes down to the uppers (the part of the shoe above the sole). I am down on my uppers this week, so can we go out for drinks next week, after I get paid?
be (down) on (one's) uppers
1. To have no money; to be broke. The phrase was originally used to describe people who were so poor that they had worn their shoes down to the uppers (the part of the shoe above the sole). This usage includes a pronoun between "on" and "uppers," and can include "down" between "be" and "on." Primarily heard in UK. I am down on my uppers this week, so can we go out for dinner next week, after I get paid?
2. slang To be on stimulant drugs. In this usage, the set phrase is "be on uppers." My son has been acting really weird and says he's been awake for days, so I'm worried that he's on uppers.
a stiff upper lip
The ability to remain stoic during difficult situations. Despite all of the hardships he faced, John always kept a stiff upper lip and didn't let anything bother him. The players were devastated after losing the championship, but their coach encouraged them to keep a stiff upper lip and focus on doing better next year.
Keep a stiff upper lip.
Prov. Act as though you are not upset.; Do not let unpleasant things upset you. (English people are stereotypically supposed to be very good at keeping a stiff upper lip.) Even though he was only three years old, Jonathan kept a stiff upper lip the whole time he was in the hospital recovering from his surgery. Jill: Sometimes this job frustrates me so much I could just break down in tears. Jane: Keep a stiff upper lip. Things are bound to improve.
top story
and upper storySl. the brain; one's mind and intellect. A little weak in the upper story, but other than that, a great guy. He has nothing for a top story.
upper crust
Fig. the higher levels of society; the upper class. (From the top, as opposed to the bottom, crust of a pie.) Jane speaks like that because she pretends to be from the upper crust, but her father was a miner. James is from the upper crust, but he is penniless.
*upper hand (on someone)
Fig. a position superior to someone; the advantage of someone. (*Typically: get ~; have ~; give someone ~.) John is always trying to get the upper hand on someone. He never ends up having the upper hand, though.
have the upper hand
to have power and control over someone or a situation
By half time, the Italian soccer team seemed to have the upper hand. Usage notes: also used with get and gain: There is always worry over who will get the upper hand in the oil markets. Fire fighters from more than six states finally gained the upper hand on the forest fire.
a stiff upper lip
an ability to stay calm and not show feelings of sadness or fear You weren't allowed to show emotion in those days. You had to keep a stiff upper lip at all times. I never once saw my father cry or show any sign of vulnerability - it's that old British stiff upper lip.
have the upper hand
if someone has the upper hand, they have a position of power and control over someone else, and if an emotion has the upper hand, it controls what you do At half time, the Italian team seem to have the upper hand.
the upper crust
people who have the highest social position and who are usually rich Many treasures were brought back to Britain because its upper crust was wealthy and liked travelling abroad.
be (down) on your uppers
(British old-fashioned) to be in a very bad financial situation Hungary's once successful film industry is on its uppers. He was always ready to help anyone who was down on their uppers.
keep a stiff upper lip
Show courage in the face of pain or adversity. For example, I know you're upset about losing the game, but keep a stiff upper lip. This expression presumably alludes to the trembling lips that precede bursting into tears. [Early 1800s]
on one's uppers
Poor, in reduced circumstances, as in as in The Smiths try to hide the fact that they're on their uppers. First recorded in 1886, this metaphoric term alludes to having worn out the soles of one's shoes so badly that only the top portions remain.
upper crust
The highest social class, as in She wanted badly to be one of the upper crust but it wasn't going to happen. This term alludes to the choicest part of a pie or loaf of bread. [First half of 1800s]
upper hand
Also, whip hand. A dominating or controlling position, as in Once you let Jeff get the upper hand there'll be no stopping him, or When it comes to checkers, my son-in-law generally has the whip hand. The first term alludes to an ancient game in which each player in turn grasps a stick with one hand, beginning from the bottom, and the last who can put his hand at the top wins. Its figurative use dates from the late 1400s. The variant alludes to the driver who holds the whip in a horse-drawn vehicle; it was being used figuratively by the late 1600s.
upper story
The head or brain, as in He's not all there in the upper story. This expression transfers the literal sense of a higher floor in a multistory building to the top portion of the human body. Richard Bentley used it in A Dissertation on the Epistles of Phalaris (1699), where he compares a man with "brains ... in his head" to a man who has "furniture in his upper story."
pepper-upper
n. an amphetamine tablet or capsule; a pep pill. I need me a little pepper-upper. Can I have a prescription?
top story
and upper story n. the brain. I don’t think her top story is occupied. A little weak in the upper story, but other than that, a great guy.
upper story
verb keep a stiff upper lip
To be courageous or stoic in the face of adversity.
on (one's) uppers
Informal Impoverished; destitute.
down on his uppers
Needy; fallen on hard times. Men's shoes have two parts: the bottoms (soles and heels) and the uppers, which cover the foot. Someone whose financial condition was so bad that he couldn't afford to have the soles and heels replaced after being worn away was literally down on (in the sense of “to”) his uppers. A similar phrase is “down at the heels,” and moving higher, “out at the elbows.”
upper crust
The top level of society. Although you might think that “crust” refers to bread and that the upper part was reserved for the aristocracy, word detectives would say you're wrong: no authoritative written connection between bread and the well-bred can be found. “Crust” refers to the earth's crust, or top layer. The upper crust of a society is its top layer.
Common Names:
| Name | Gender | Pronounced | Usage |
|---|
| Alic | | ['ælik] | |
| Olympia | | [əu'limpiə] | |
| Rasul | | - | Arabic |
| Mike | | [maik] | |
| Loreto | | - | Italian, Spanish |
| Per | | PER (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) | Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Breton |