upper

have (or gain) the upper hand have (or gain) advantage or control over someone or something.

on your uppers extremely short of money. informal

☞ In this expression, worn-out shoes are taken as an indication of someone's poverty; the upper is the part of a shoe above the sole, which is all that is left after the sole has been worn away.

a stiff upper lip: seestiff.

the upper crust the aristocracy and upper classes. informal

☞ In Anne Elizabeth Baker's Glossary of Northamptonshire Words and Phrases (1854) 'Mrs Upper Crust' is explained as the nickname for 'any female who assumes unauthorized superiority'. The term was also current in informal American speech in the mid 19th century. The French word gratin has a similar pair of literal and metaphorical senses, being literally 'a crust of crumbs and cheese on top of a cooked dish' and metaphorically 'the highest class of society'.