# top shelf

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/top-shelf
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Best, or high quality.

## Examples

- This wine is top shelf.
- She only buys top shelf ingredients when cooking for special guests.
- The critic praised the novel as top shelf, placing it among the finest works of contemporary fiction.

## Origin

* (US: best, or high quality): Possibly from the higher quality, thus more expensive, thus less often used liquors being stored on the less accessible top shelf behind a wet bar. * (British: material with adult content): Such material is often stored on the top shelf in a newsagent's shop, where it is both less visible and harder to reach without being seen. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.