top end of town
- noun
- UK
:
zona alta
- The top end of town is known for its luxury homes and high-end boutiques.
When I hear that, you know, that's very optimistic to me that the the top end of town is thinking that way, right.
- When I hear that, you know, that's very optimistic to me that the the top end of town is thinking that way, right.
Examples
-
Real estate prices in the top end of town have skyrocketed in recent years.
-
Residents in the top end of town enjoy beautiful parks and exclusive amenities.
-
When I hear that, you know, that's very optimistic to me that the the top end of town is thinking that way, right.
Synonyms
1
6.3
A wealthy area by the coast with large, expensive houses
An area where rich, fashionable, and proud people live
An area that is fashionable and expensive where many young professionals live
How Exclusive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'top' (highest/best) + 'end' (part/section) + 'of town' (area of the town) yields 'the upper/most desirable part of town', so a learner who knows the words can infer the intended sense. This is a common, cross-linguistic way to describe the 'posh' or most expensive area and follows ordinary English noun-phrase patterns, making it transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase top end of town may come from the simple image of a town map, where the top part or end had the richest houses and the nicest shops. So, top end of town now means the 'most expensive' or most desirable area where wealthy people live.