upper crust

plural upper crusts

1. idiomaticusuallyThe social elite, the highest social class.

   Some accents reveal the distinctive bray of the upper crust, but most are generic middle class.

   2006 June 18, J. F. O. McAllister, “A New Kind of Elite”, in Time

   2 more examples

   I judged from your remark about the diligence and industry of the high Parisian upper crust that it would have some point.

   1894, Mark Twain, “A Little Note to M. Paul Bourget”, in Essays on Paul Bourget

   “You ever see the movie Spotlight?” “About the Boston Globe reporters who uncovered the sexual abuse coverup in the Catholic Church?” “Yeah, exactly.” “No.” “Oh. Well, in that I played Ben Bradlee, Jr. And that character begins with the accent, because the real Bradlee is from Boston. But he's an upper-crust guy. [Boston accent] Not like some jamoke standing around Kelly's Tavern in, uh, Revere Beach, you know what I mean?” “Very good, John Slattery.” “[regular accent] Not bad, right? But I was talking to him.”

   2023 August 10, Sam Johnson & Chris Marcil, “Urgent Care” (11:58 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows, season 5, episode 6, spoken by John Slattery (John Slattery)

   Synonyms: upper class, the quality

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.

   She went to get her tarts . . . but some one had stolen all the fruit out of them by lifting up the upper crust.

   1871, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, “chapter 20”, in Little Men: […], Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC

comparative more upper crust · superlative most upper crust

1. alternativeAlternative form of upper-crust.