Top-notch

[skinem]

top-notch

Pronunciation: -'näch
Function: adjective
: of the highest quality : FIRST-RATE <a top-notch work>
- top·notch·er /-'nä-ch&r/ noun

Top notch

Meaning

Excellent.

Origin

American origin - following on from the British 'topping', and preceding the US 'the tops'. All meaning the same thing.

OK, we all know what it means, but where did it come from? Where did the "notch" come from?
Any relation to "top-knot"?

[Perry]

Here are two interesting explanations.

The term "top notch" originated in some sort of game or competition where the score was kept by moving markers upward on a notched board or stick. The winner, presumably would be the one whose marker reached the top notch first, making "top notch" a fitting metaphor for "the best."

A courting candle is a candle holder that holds one tapered candle of which you can vary the height by raising or lowering a lever. Parents of a daughter of courting age would light the candle when a boy came to see her. Depending on how much they liked the lad, they would raise or lower the candle. When the candle burned down to the base, courting time was over. A candle raised to the top notch of the holder would extend courting time and showed that the parents approved of the boy.

I imagine, that people would begin using this expression to describe the quality of a boy based on the notch placement he received. Leading to: "He's a top notch boy/man"

[skinem]

Thanks, Perry...both interesting explanations.
I'm glad they didn't have a courting candle when I was young...I suspect the candle would extinguish when I knocked on the door.

[Stargzer]

From World Wide Words:

[Q] From John Schestag: “We all know top notch means the best or top quality. But was there a real notch in some situation where there could actually be a top notch?”

[A] The short answer is that we don’t know but wish we did.

Here's the long answer.