cream rises to the top
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Talent and quality are eventually recognized
Literally: cream separating from milk and floating on top
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
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Common questions
What does “cream rises to the top” mean?
Talent and quality are eventually recognized Literally: cream separating from milk and floating on top
Is “cream rises to the top” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
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