upper crust
The social elite, the highest social class.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“They act like they belong to the upper crust.”
“The gala was filled with the upper crust of society, all wearing expensive jewelry and designer clothes.”
“Despite his humble beginnings, he spent his entire life trying to gain acceptance among the city's upper crust.”
first recorded 19th c.
The term entered the English lexicon as a figurative expression in 1836. While folk etymology frequently asserts that the phrase derives from the practice of serving the top half of a loaf of bread to the social elite, the historical record for the idiom begins in the early nineteenth century.
- 01
crack a crust
To make a living.
- 02
earn one's crust
To earn money, to do something as a job.
- 03
stiff upper lip
The quality of being resolute and showing self-restraint, stereotypically associated with the British; especially as keep a stiff upper lip.
- 04
upper hand
Advantage or control.
- 05
upper storey
A person's brain.
Last updated August 10, 2026