top shelf

3 definitions

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#1·4h ago

(US, idiomatic) Best, or high quality.

I bought a bottle of top shelf whiskey.

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. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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#2·4h ago

(British, idiomatic) Describing books, magazines, or movies that have adult content or softcore pornography.

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.

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#3·4h ago

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

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