elevator

(one's) elevator doesn't go all the way to the top

A pejorative phrase meaning one is not very intelligent or of questionable mental capacity. He says he's going to start a business selling bees as pets. I'm starting to think his elevator doesn't go all the way to the top.
See also: all, elevator, go, top, way

elevator music

Soft, usually jazzy recorded music played in public places. The phrase is often used derisively. Sorry, but this sounds like elevator music to me. Let's put on some real jazz.
See also: elevator, music

the elevator doesn't go all the way to the top

A pejorative phrase meaning not very intelligent or of questionable mental capacity. He says he's going to start a business selling bees as pets. I'm starting to think the elevator doesn't go all the way to the top.
See also: all, elevator, go, top, way
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

the elevator doesn't go all the way to the top

or

someone's elevator doesn't go all the way to the top

INFORMAL
People say that the elevator doesn't go all the way to the top or that someone's elevator doesn't go all the way to the top to mean that someone is stupid or mentally ill. I get the feeling his elevator doesn't go all the way to the top.
See also: all, elevator, go, top, way
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

elevator music

n. dull, uninteresting music of the type that can be heard in elevators or shops. (see also ear candy.) Elevator music is better than listening to someone chewing food.
See also: elevator, music
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

elevator doesn't go to the top floor, the

Describing someone who is simple-minded, not very intelligent. The top floor in this slangy insult denotes the brain. One synonym is a few/two/three bricks shy of a load, indicating a person is short of intelligence. Another is not playing with a full deck, which refers to the card game of poker. Yet another is having only one oar in the water (or not having both oars in the water). All these slangy expressions date from the second half of the twentieth century. For example, “But now this new opportunity had presented itself, and . . . how could he really lose? Okay, she probably wasn’t playing with a full deck, but he didn’t figure her for any more gun wielding” (David Baldacci, Hour Game, 2004).
See also: elevator, go, top

elevator music

Light instrumental music considered “easy listening.” It is played not only in elevators but shopping malls, grocery stores, doctor’s offices, telephone systems (when the caller is on hold), and similar venues. Simple and unobtrusive, it serves purely as a background. It is also called Muzak, because the Muzak Corporation originally supplied such music. The New Yorker magazine (April 10, 2006) carried a piece by David Owen entitled “The Soundtrack of Your Life,” describing the matching of such music to the venues where it is played.
See also: elevator, music
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • (one's) elevator doesn't go all the way to the top
  • the elevator doesn't go all the way to the top
  • bananas
  • one banana short of a bunch
  • one egg short of a dozen
  • a few bananas short of a bunch
  • a few eggs short of a dozen
  • a few sandwiches short of a picnic
  • a sandwich short of a picnic
  • a few bricks shy/short of a load
References in periodicals archive
Global Elevator Market is expected to rise from its initial estimated value of USD 62.71 billion in 2018 to a projected value of USD 150.68 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 11.58% in the forecast period of 2019-2026.
Elevator Market Emerging Opportunities and Revenue Analysis by 2026: thyssenkrupp Elevator, Otis Elevator Co., KONE Corporation, Schindler Group, Hitachi, Hyundai Elevator Company, Mitsubishi Electric
But she didn't know what many in the elevator industry had known for more than 70 years: that children caught between the doors had been killed and injured before, crushed by moving elevators when their tiny bodies collided with the door frame above or fell into the elevator shaft below a danger allowed to exist all these years by companies and regulators despite a simple solution, according to interviews with 28 officials, parents and regulators, plus a review of hundreds of documents from courts, companies and government agencies.
Easy elevator fix was avoided as kids died
"I tell my customers that every contractor has a horror story about an elevator guy," McBride says.
Going Up! Servset Elevator Inc. is Moving with the Industry
According to a DZMM report, the elevator carrying 28 passengers slowed down at the building's 38th floor after its emergency brake system was activated.
14 hurt in Makati building elevator malfunction
The top court judge remarked the court should be informed how many elevators are operational and how many others are out of order.
SC summons Services Hospital CEO to explain why hospital's elevators are out of order
'Of this number there are 530 elevators maintained at intervals by eight contractors who were chosen via open tender and at different periods,' he said in Parliament.
Minister: Public housing and PPR elevators to be comprehensively upgraded or replaced
elevator company, Korea has no facilities to produce the Sky Shuttle elevator's rope which is 22 millimeters in diameter a thicker than ordinary elevators' ropes which are 12 millimeters to 18 millimeters.
Otis faces lawsuit for faulty lift in Lotte World Tower
The elevator was installed in 1985 and as many as 15 persons could use the elevator at a time.
NA elevator project corruption-Standing committee calls comprehensive report next week
The acquisition of SCS Elevator further expands Oracle's footprint in central and south Florida, and the operations will be added to the company's existing branches in Orlando, Tampa, and Palm Beach.
Oracle Elevator Closes Four Acquisitions in Maintenance, Modernisation Space
The elevators enabled with OEO at 181 Fremont combine the use of stairwells and elevators to provide a faster and more efficient option for evacuation while reducing panic and confusion typically associated with emergencies.
San Francisco High-Rise Introduces Elevators for Emergency Evacuation: THE ELEVATORS ARE EQUIPPED WITH OCCUPANT EVACUATION OPERATION FUNCTIONALITY
First up is the double-door freight elevator, which employees use to move books and other items within the building and to and from the system's two branches.
Eugene library's elevators back up after being down
Thyssenkrupp's rope-less elevators will change the capabilities of an elevator as we know it and the fact that the same elevator cabs can travel horizontally, without inconveniencing passengers, is nothing short of futuristic.
The elevator business is becoming smarter
The speed was recorded during a test of the elevator under installation at the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, a skyscraper complex building in China, said a statement from the Japanese industrial giant.
Hitachi claims record with ultra-high-speed elevator
In May 2016, the ultra-high-speed elevator reached 1,200 m/min as its rated speed.
Hitachi Reaches 1,260 M/Min, the World's Fastest*1 Speed With Ultra-High-Speed Elevator
The Japanese company Hitachi has developed the world's fastest elevator, running at 47 mph it will debut at the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre in China, (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4567014/Fastest-elevator-hits-speed-47-mph-Guangzhou-China.html) according to the Daily Mail on Friday .
World's Fastest Elevator Hits Nearly 50 MPH