Reader question:
Please explain “top-flight” in this sentence: All of the musicians were top-flight talents.
My comments:
All of them were tops, in other words.
Tops?
Topmost, that is, in terms of quality, ability, popularity, etc.
In other words, these musicians are the best among peers. They are considered as the cream of the crop, as they say.
That’s why they are deemed as top-flight talents, i.e. extremely talented.
“Flight” refers, literally, to one of the sets pf stairs linking up two floors in a multistory building. And the uppermost flight linking the highest two floors is the top flight.
Hence, figuratively, top-flight becomes synonymous with the highest or best in terms of ranking, achievement, prominence or what have you.
The “flight” in “flight of stairs”, by the way, comes from the French saying – “to fly up the stairs”. “This simply means that someone can ascend or descend stairs quickly and without interruption” (AHouseInTheHills.com).
In sum and in short, top-flight means elite, first-rate and first-class.
Or to use another similar phrase, top-drawer.
All right, without further ado, here are media examples of “top-flight”:
1. It’s been noted that the new 007 goes for girls who are more than just a pretty face – these strong, intelligent women are very much the 21st-century Bond girls. And in real life, Daniel Craig has followed in the footsteps of his famous alter ego. The cine hunk has secretly tied the knot with Rachel Weisz – a top-flight actress with a Cambridge degree and an Oscar to her name.
Robin Baun of Slate PR, which represents the actor, said the pair had got married, but did not offer any details.
The British couple, who play husband and wife in upcoming movie Dream House, have been quietly dating since December in real life.
According to reports, they tied the knot last Wednesday in New York, with only a handful of witnesses. Daniel’s 18-year-old daughter Ella – from his first marriage to Scottish actress Fiona Loudon – Rachel’s five-year-old son Henry and two family friends were the only ones present.
Daniel, 43, rose to international stardom in 2006 when he became the sixth actor to play Bond in the movie franchise. He will take on the role of the suave secret agent for the third time in the 23rd movie, which will be released in October next year. His other film credits include Elizabeth, Layer Cake and upcoming film The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Rachel, 41, has appeared in movies including The Mummy and About A Boy.
Her role in 2005 film The Constant Gardener earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
- The strong, sexy woman who took Bond off the market, HelloMagazine.com, June 27, 2011.
2. Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt after two years of marriage – and she’s hired a top-flight lawyer for the divorce proceedings.
The American actress has brought in divorce attorney Laura Wasser to represent her as she reportedly battles for primary custody of their six children.
The lawyer has represented Jolie before when she divorced Billy Bob Thornton and has worked for a string of celebrity clients – earning her the nickname ‘disso queen’ because of her ability to dissolve marriages.
She was hired by Johnny Depp during his divorce from Amber Heard while other big-name clients include Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears and Stevie Wonder.
The 48-year-old lawyer was educated at the University of California, graduating in 1991 before being admitted to the state’s bar three years later.
Her parents are also both attorneys and her dad has represented Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg in divorce proceedings.
Wasser has two children and has been divorced – and her middle name is Allison meaning her initials are ‘LAW’.
- Who is Laura Wasser? Angelina Jolie hires ‘queen’ divorce lawyer, September 20, 2016.
3. Donald Trump expects to publish his fourth collection of NFT images. In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Trump announced the development and highlighted how well his other collections had performed. He said “The whole thing sold 45,000 of the cards. And I did it three times. I’m going to do another one because the people want me to do another one. It’s an unbelievable spirit. Beautiful.”
Trump mentioned the prospect in May at a Mar-a-Lago banquet for his favorite NFT holders. He highlighted the idea of supply and demand back then. “I believe in supply and demand. And as you know, one did great, two did great, three did great. At some point maybe that turns around”.
The crypto community strongly supports Trump’s presidency campaign. Trump’s campaign began taking crypto donations in May. A Wall Street Journal report showed that Trump’s campaign raised almost $3 million in crypto last quarter.
J.D. Vance, a senator who supports bitcoin, was named by Trump as his running mate. Prominent people in the cryptocurrency space, such as Jesse Powell, co-founder of Kraken and Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, co-founders of Gemini have made large contributions to Trump’s campaign for reelection and associated super PACs.
Trump expressed his belief in the longevity of crypto. He has had many meetings at his fundraisers with prominent figures in the crypto space. Trump described these supporters as “top flight people”.
- Trump Confirms Fourth NFT Collection: “Unbelievable Spirit”, NFTEvening.com, July 17, 2024.
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About the author:
Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.
（作者：张欣）
