top shelf

See also: top-shelf

English

Alternative forms

• top-shelf (adjective only)

Etymology

• (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.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

top shelf (not comparable)

1. (US, idiomatic) Best, or high quality. [from late 19th c.]

   Synonyms: top notch; see also Thesaurus:excellent

   I bought a bottle of top shelf whiskey.

2. (British, idiomatic) Describing books, magazines, or movies that have adult content or softcore pornography.
   • 2008, Rick Wakeman, Martin Roach, Grumpy Old Rock Star, →ISBN, page 83:

     Most of the band used to buy Autotrader to read on the various bus and plane journeys, but Barry would always turn up with a copy of Underwear Unlimited or some other seedy little top-shelf mag.

Noun

top shelf (plural top shelves)

1. (Canada, ice hockey) The upper part of the goal.

References

• Lai, Anne, editor (2005), Bartending 101: The Basics of Mixology‎^[1], 4th edition, Harvard Student Agencies, Inc., St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, pages 7–9

Anagrams

• fleshpot