English Reference
Idiom idiom

cream of the crop


The best or most desirable among some selection.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

These students are the cream of the crop.

CONTEXTUAL

The company only hires the cream of the crop from the top universities.

COMPLEX

After a rigorous selection process, the orchestra recruited only the cream of the crop to perform the symphony.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    bumper crop

    An excess of something; a large yield.

  2. 02

    cream in one's coffee

    Something that one relishes.

  3. 03

    cream in one's jeans

    To ejaculate while wearing one's trousers; to experience an orgasm while clothed.

  4. 04

    cream the crop

    To pick out the most valuable or desirable things or people from a group for one's own interests.

  5. 05

    crop up

    To occur, especially suddenly or unexpectedly.

  6. 06

    peaches and cream

    A very enjoyable experience, usually used to describe something being unrealistically idyllic.

  7. 07

    specialty crop

    Any of various crops cultivated for, or managed and gathered for, human use (in food, personal hygiene, medicine, or decoration) rather than as animal feed, fodder, or forage.

  8. 08

    whatever creams your twinkie

    Do what you will, whatever makes you happy.

Last updated August 10, 2026