crown jewels
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The collection of precious ceremonial objects belonging to a sovereign: The "crown jewels" are the official regalia, including items like crowns, scepters, orbs, and other valuable jewelry, worn or used by a monarch during important state ceremonies.
- The most valuable or important assets of an organization: In a figurative sense, "crown jewels" can refer to the most prized and critical assets, properties, or people within a company, institution, or group.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Literal Meaning):
- The Tower of London is famous for housing the British Crown Jewels.
- The theft of the crown jewels would be a national catastrophe.
- Noun (Figurative Meaning):
- The patent for their flagship drug is the company's crown jewels.
- The star quarterback is considered the team's crown jewels.
Advanced Usage
- "to be the crown jewels of something": to be the most valuable part of a collection or group.
- These original manuscripts are the crown jewels of the university library.
- "to protect/safeguard the crown jewels": to take special care of the most important assets.
- The board's primary duty is to safeguard the company's crown jewels from hostile takeovers.
Variants and Related Words
- Regalia (n): the emblems or insignia of royalty, especially the crown, scepter, and other ornaments used on ceremonial occasions.
- The king was dressed in full regalia for the coronation.
- Coronation (n): the ceremony of crowning a sovereign.
- The crown jewels are central to the coronation ritual.
Synonyms
- Treasures: valuable objects collectively.
- Assets: a useful or valuable thing or person.
- Prized possessions: one's most valued belongings.
Related Phrases
- Crown jewel defense (n): a strategy used by a corporation to avoid a hostile takeover by making itself less attractive, often by selling its most valuable assets (its "crown jewels").
- The company enacted a crown jewel defense to thwart the acquisition attempt.
Related Idioms
- The jewel in the crown: the most valuable, successful, or beautiful part of something.
- The research department is the jewel in the crown of this institution. (Note: This idiom uses "jewel" in the singular, while "crown jewels" is typically plural.)
Noun
- regalia (jewelry and other paraphernalia) worn by a sovereign on state occasions