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cream of the crop

 - 4 dictionary results

cream

[kreem]
–noun
1. the fatty part of milk, which rises to the surface when the liquid is allowed to stand unless homogenized.
2. a soft solid or thick liquid containing medicaments or other specific ingredients, applied externally for a prophylactic, therapeutic, or cosmetic purpose.
3. Usually, creams. a soft-centered confection of fondant or fudge coated with chocolate.
4. a purée or soup containing cream or milk: cream of tomato soup.
5. the best part of anything: the cream of society.
6. a yellowish white; light tint of yellow or buff.
–verb (used without object)
7. to form cream.
8. to froth; foam.
9. Informal. to advance or favor only the wealthiest, most skilled or talented, etc., esp. so as to reap the benefits oneself: Management is creaming by advancing only the most productive workers.
10. Also, cream one's jeans. Slang: Vulgar.
a. to have an orgasm, esp. to ejaculate or experience glandular lubrication of the vagina.
b. to be overcome, as in rapturous admiration or delight.
–verb (used with object)
11. to work (butter and sugar, or the like) to a smooth, creamy mass.
12. to prepare (chicken, oysters, vegetables, etc.) with cream, milk, or a cream sauce.
13. to allow (milk) to form cream.
14. to skim (milk).
15. to separate as cream.
16. to take the cream or best part of.
17. to use a cosmetic cream on.
18. to add cream to (tea, coffee, etc.).
19. Slang.
a. to beat or damage severely; lambaste.
b. to defeat decisively.
c. to accomplish, esp. to pass (a test or course), with great ease and success: She creamed the math test, getting the highest grade in the class.
–adjective
20. of the color cream; cream-colored.
21. cream of the crop, the best or choicest: a college that accepts only students who are the cream of the crop.

Origin:
1300–50; ME creme < AF, OF cresme < LL chrīsma chrism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cream of the crop
Main Entry:  cream of the crop
Part of Speech:  n phr
Definition:  the very best from a selection or group
Example:  That tomato sauce is considered to be the cream of the crop.
Etymology:  from cream's rising to the top of fresh milk
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: cream
Pronunciation: 'krEm
Function: noun
1 : the yellowish part of milk containing from 18 to about 40 percent butterfat
2 : something having the consistency of cream; especially : a usually emulsified medicinal or cosmetic preparation —creamy /'krE-mE/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

cream (krēm)
n.

  1. The yellowish fatty component of unhomogenized milk that tends to accumulate at the surface.

  2. A pharmaceutical preparation consisting of a semisolid emulsion of either the oil-in-water or the water-in-oil type, ordinarily intended for topical use.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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