upper \up"per\, a.; comp. of up.
   being further up, literally or figuratively; higher in place,
   position, rank, dignity, or the like; superior; as, the upper
   lip; the upper side of a thing; the upper house of a
   legislature.
   1913 webster

   the upper hand, the superiority; the advantage. see to
      have the upper hand, under hand. --jowett thucyd..

   upper bench eng. hist., the name of the highest court of
      common law formerly king's bench during the
      commonwealth.

   upper case, the top one of a pair of compositor's cases.
      see the note under 1st case, n., 3.

   upper covert zool., one of the coverts situated above the
      bases of the tail quills.

   upper deck naut., the topmost deck of any vessel; the
      spar deck.

   upper leather, the leather for the vamps and quarters of
      shoes.

   upper strake naut., the strake next to the deck, usually
      of hard wood, and heavier than the other strakes.

   upper ten thousand, or abbreviated upper ten, the ten
      thousand, more or less, who are highest in position or
      wealth; the upper class; the aristocracy. colloq.

   upper topsail naut., the upper half of a double topsail.
      

   upper works naut., all those parts of the hull of a
      vessel that are properly above water.

   upper world.
   a the atmosphere.
   b heaven.
   c this world; the earth; -- in distinction from the
       underworld.
       1913 webster
see also:
up the upper hand to have the upper hand hand upper bench upper case 
case upper covert upper deck upper leather upper strake 
upper ten thousand upper ten upper topsail upper works upper world 
underworld