'Upper works' definitions:

Definition of 'Upper works'

From: GCIDE
  • 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]