pick of the litter

Idioms  

1. The best of a group, as in He was first in the ticket line so he had the pick of the litter. This term, alluding to the most desirable one from a litter of puppies or kittens, supplanted such earlier variants as pick of the market, pick of the parish, and pick of the basket. [Early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

When McConnell stepped down as leader, he had pick of the litter over committee assignments.

From Slate • Jan. 28, 2025

And at the end of each weekend, I had the pick of the litter with jerseys.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2023

The pick of the litter is probably the problematic Seamus, who despairs at how terms like “witness and legacy of violence and valid” transform class into “a tribunal for war crimes.”

From New York Times • May 21, 2023

“Gravity” is perhaps the pick of the litter here.

From Scientific American • May 27, 2022

Danny was given his own pick of the litter, which included a beach-green shirt that said AHOY!

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova