crown jewels

plural noun

1. the jewellery, including the regalia, used by a sovereign on a state occasion

Idioms and Phrases

A prized possession or asset, as in The Iliad and Odyssey are the crown jewels of ancient literature , or The software products are the company's crown jewels . This usage transfers the value of royal jewels to some other object. [Late 1800s]

Also, family jewels . The male genitals, especially the testicles. For example, She gave the would-be mugger a hard kick in the family jewels . A slang euphemism, the term dates from the 1970s, and the variant from the early 1900s.

Example Sentences

"A lighter, slower, more domestic version - while ByteDance keeps the crown jewels in Beijing."

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Most recently, his administration has set its sights on the Smithsonian, one of the crown jewels of this country’s cultural institutions.

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In the UK, the list of 'crown jewels' sports events, which cannot solely be shown by broadcasters who charge viewers, includes football's World Cup and European Championships as well as the FA Cup final.

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It is a big deal for the US to share what is often called the the "crown jewels" of its defence technology.

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Compared to Power 4 schools that may invest most of its funds into football and men’s basketball, Olympic sports could become crown jewels for smaller athletic departments.

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Related Words

• headband 
• headdress