top shelf

See also: top-shelf

English

(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.

top shelf (not comparable)

(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.
(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.

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

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