Where does the phrase the upper crust come from?
When the phrase “upper crust” appeared in writing in the 15th century, it referred literally to the top crust on a loaf of bread. The first OED citation is from The Boke of Nurture (1460), by John Russell, a manual on manners, food, and dress: “Kutt þe vpper crust [of the loaf] for youre souerayne.”
How do you use upper crust in a sentence?
1. The upper crust does not ride public transportation. 2. Those disgraceful students were males from the upper crust.
What is a synonym for upper crust?
In this page you can discover 14 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for upper crust, like: elite, quality, society, upper class, who’s who, aristocracy, blue blood, crème de la crème, flower, gentility and gentry.
Where does the phrase deceased ringer come from?
The expression ‘dead ringer’ comes from American horse racing and originated at the end of the 19th century, when a horse that would be raced under a false name and pedigree was called a ringer. The word ‘dead’ in this expression refers not to lifelessness, but to “precise” or “exact.”
Where does the saying bring home the bacon come from?
According to local legend, the church in Great Dunmow would award a side of bacon (called a “flitch”) to any man who could honestly say that he had not argued with his wife for a year and a day. Any such man would “bring home the bacon” and be considered a role model.
What is the opposite of upper crust?
Near Antonyms for upper-crust. inferior, knavish.
What does well to do mean?
Definition of well-to-do
: having more than adequate financial resources : prosperous a well-to-do family.
Where does upset the apple cart come from?
Spoil carefully laid plans, as in Now don’t upset the applecart by revealing where we’re going. This expression started out as upset the cart, used since Roman times to mean “spoil everything.” The precise idiom dates from the late 1700s.
Where did the saying as good as gold come from and what does it mean?
When banknotes (known as bills in the USA and some other countries) were first introduced they weren’t considered to be money in the sense we now think of them, but were promissory notes or IOUs. … It was after this that paper money became “Good as Gold™” for trade purposes.
Where did the saying good as gold come from?
The original meaning is recorded in this piece from The Old Bailey records of a trial in October 1827, reported that month in The Morning Post: Child and the others then went with him to another house in Chancery Lane; they there gave him a paper, which they said was “as good as gold”, and would be paid on Monday next.
Has an AXE to grind meaning?
phrase. If someone has an axe to grind, they are doing something for selfish reasons. [informal, disapproval] He seems like a decent bloke and I’ve got no axe to grind with him. [ + with]
What does the idiom hit the sack mean?
to go to bed
hit the sack in American English
slang. to go to bed; go to sleep.
What does the saying on tenterhooks mean?
waiting nervously for something to happen
The phrase “on tenterhooks” means “waiting nervously for something to happen.” A tenterhook is literally a sharp hook that fastens cloth to a tenter, a frame on which cloth is stretched, like a tent, for even drying to prevent shrinkage. … Other property owners in the area remain on tenterhooks.
Can’t cut the mustard meaning?
(also can’t cut the mustard) to not be able to deal with problems or difficulties in a satisfactory way: If he can’t cut it, then we’ll get someone else to do the job.