upper

a.; comp. of Up. Being further up, literally or figuratively; higher in place, position, rank, dignity, or the like; superior; as, the upper lip; the upper side of a thing; the upper house of a legislature. [ 1913 Webster ]

The upper hand, the superiority; the advantage. See To have the upper hand, under Hand. Jowett (Thucyd.). --
Upper Bench (Eng. Hist.), the name of the highest court of common law (formerly King's Bench) during the Commonwealth. --
Upper case, the top one of a pair of compositor's cases. See the Note under 1st Case, n., 3. --
Upper covert (Zool.), one of the coverts situated above the bases of the tail quills. --
Upper deck (Naut.), the topmost deck of any vessel; the spar deck. --
Upper leather, the leather for the vamps and quarters of shoes. --
Upper strake (Naut.), the strake next to the deck, usually of hard wood, and heavier than the other strakes. --
Upper ten thousand, or (abbreviated)
Upper ten, the ten thousand, more or less, who are highest in position or wealth; the upper class; the aristocracy. [ Colloq. ] --
Upper topsail (Naut.), the upper half of a double topsail. --
Upper works (Naut.), all those parts of the hull of a vessel that are properly above water. --
Upper world. (a) The atmosphere. (b) Heaven. (c) This world; the earth; -- in distinction from the underworld. [ 1913 Webster ]