upper story

Idioms  

1. The head or brain, as in He's not all there in the upper story. This expression transfers the literal sense of a higher floor in a multistory building to the top portion of the human body. Richard Bentley used it in A Dissertation on the Epistles of Phalaris (1699), where he compares a man with “brains ... in his head” to a man who has “furniture in his upper story.”

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Example Sentences

Shortly after midnight, a motorcyclist passing by noticed smoke coming from an upper story and alerted guards.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 11, 2023

One photo appeared to show damage to the upper story of the kindergarten.

From New York Times • Jan. 18, 2023

You might even consider moving valuables from the ground floor to an upper story of your home.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2023

A crew from Shepler Construction has prepared the upper story for a new metal roof.

From Washington Times • Oct. 21, 2014

The warmth of my breath closed around me, and when she tilted back to scan the upper story of my house, her face was featureless.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Related Words

• head
• intellect
• mind