Someone who is at the bottom of the heap or the bottom of the pile is the least important of all the members of a group. At the bottom of the heap are the rural poor. People are rated by a system. Those at the bottom of the pile could be invited to pre-lunch drinks. Note: Someone who is at the top of the heap or top of the pile is high in importance in a group. Top of the heap is Debenhams, which has been launching increasingly impressive `designer' collections since 1993. Then came those who could be invited to lunch, and at the very top of the pile were the ones who could be invited to dinner.