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 (Zoöl.), 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.