deluxe

Etymology

From French de luxe (“of luxury”), from Latin luxus (“excess”).

adj

1. Very fine in quality or luxurious.
   The band released a deluxe version of their LP, containing bonus tracks and with a personal message by all the members in the sleeve.
   “I have here, sir,” he said, “one of the deluxest editions de luxe now in print. Observe the handsome tree calf binding, notice the gold gilt crinkle edges and stand aghast with admiration before the profuse and artistic illustrations.” 20 August 1925, “Daily Novelette: Two of a Kind”, in The Lindsay Daily Post, 29th year, number 194, Lindsay, Ont., page five, column 1
   The Reforma is Mexico’s deluxest hotel—and it is about as Mexican as the Ziegfeld Follies. 1937, Howard Vincent O’Brien, “The Modern Touch”, in Notes for a Book about Mexico, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Willett, Clark & Company, page 99
   And fer the deluxest of ’em all, get our reg. $59.95 list 20-inch Reversible Window Fan, $39.99, sucks in cool air or blows out hot air. 20 July 1950, “We Kaint Make No Five Spot out of a Plain Dollar Bill: But We Kin Kum So Close You Won't Never Know the Difference with Bargain City's Low Prices!”, in St. Louis Post-Dispatch, volume 102, number 308, St. Louis, Mo., page 8A
   And many a noble heart takes shelter under roofs no grander nor deluxer than this one. 1951, Florence Crannell Means, “Meet the Grande Deluxe!”, in Hetty of the Grande Deluxe, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Company; Cambridge, Mass.: The Riverside Press, page 13
   It is probably the most deluxest hospice in New York and was until recently the pied-a-tree of Clare Booth Luce and her consort, Chinaboy Henry, otherwise known as Fui Piu. 9 February 1951, The Kingston Daily Freeman, volume LXXX, number 96, Kingston, N.Y., page four
   A tribe of North Carolina Indians routs the Ku Klux Klan. Carolina war party chant: “Nothing is deluxer than to chase a Ku Ku Kluxer in the morning.” 3 February 1958, “Clipped Quips”, in Kilgore News Herald, 28th year, number 29, Kilgore, Tex., page 4
   There’s nothing deluxer than the kitchen equipment in this house. 1 June 1960, Amarillo Globe-Times, 37th year, number 73, Amarillo, Tex., page 30
   The trend started with custom builders and their efforts in the game of one-upmanship for that “deluxer than thou” touch. 5 April 1967, J.J. Dorsey, “Dover Firm Develops New Car Top Vinyl”, in The Daily Reporter, volume 64, number 226, Dover, Oh. – New Philadelphia, Oh., page 3
   Winging your way all Nudie’d up is the Deluxest Burrito of them all — swell if you don’t break a tooth on the sequins. 1970, Entertainment World, page 30
   Deluxest Of Christmas Dinners / For a posh Christmas celebration, some families take in the famous Bracebridge Dinner pageant, which has been held at The Ahwahnee for four decades, still with the original cast and its descendants. 1972, “Yosemite Rediscovered”, in Explorer’s Guide to the West, volume 3 (Southern Mountains), The H. M. Gousha Co., →LCCN, page 124
   “Guess you foiled me this time, good buddy. But now”—and here he turns from the mountains, his eyes dancing with that new energy, his lips in a sly smile—“now it’s time for my deluxest yarn. The greatest story ever told.” 1980, Andrew Klavan, Face of the Earth, New York, N.Y.: The Viking Press, page 41
   The Madame du Pompadour was everything the fag clerk said it was: the deluxest deluxe either one of them had ever stood inside. 1981, David Littlejohn, Going to California, New York, N.Y.: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, page 60
   Deluxer than Ever / Deluxe Paint is getting another facelift from Electronic Arts (1820 Gateway Drive, San Mateo, California 94404, 415-571-7171). 1989 March, Compute!, volume 11, number 3, issue 106, page 60
   “You haven’t heard of Mrs. Kirkland’s?” She can scarcely believe my ignorance. “It’s the deluxest establishment in the city. Mrs. Kirkland says everybody dreams of making love to a movie star. I thought everybody had heard of Mrs. Kirkland’s.” “Sit down.” “Very deluxe,” she repeats, still standing. “We have a splendid piano player, you should come just to hear him.[…]” 1996, Guy Vanderhaeghe, The Englishman’s Boy, Toronto, Ont.: McClelland & Stewart Inc., page 248
   The Luxor’s “Blue Man Group” is de-luxer than its long-running editions in New York, Boston and Chicago. 12 March 2000, Michael Phillips, “The Playhouse in the Desert”, in Los Angeles Times, page 95
   “Safety reasons,” she snorts, dousing herself recklessly with borrowed floods of her mother’s deluxest perfume, thinking again of Mr. Loser’s obnoxious phone call. 2005, Barry Yourgrau, NASTYbook, Joanna Cotler Books, page 101
   This condo was nicer than Richard’s fancy high-rise condo in Chicago and deluxer than their Deluxe Park View Suite at the Ritz. 2007, Richard Kaempfer, “Frosty reception”, in $everance, Hoboken, N.J.: ENC Press, page 202

noun

1. Something that is deluxe.
   Several of the deluxes are reported to have taken the $500 Victor set on the “emergency” angle. 20 June 1928, ““Mike” System Attachment by W. E. For House to Hear Talk or Sports; “Emergency” Set at $500, Special”, in Variety, volume XCI, number 10, New York, N.Y., page 20, column 1
   Appliance agent Jack Waters said, “The super deluxe models are selling better than the deluxe. The deluxes are outselling the specials and the specials are going faster than the standards.” 15 June 1948, Electrical Merchandising, volume 79, number 12, page 34
   The convertible came in only one basic mold, but the sleek fastback coupe and (from 1950 on) the “Holiday” hardtop could be had in “deluxe” trim as well; with their more lavish interiors, deluxes are the ones to look for. 1971 summer, Richard M. Langworth, “The New Nostalgia: The ‘Postwar Collectable’ Comes of Age”, in Automobile Quarterly: The Connoisseur’s Magazine of Motoring Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow, volume IX, number 4, page 431, column 3
   For that reason, the doubts that are sometimes raised about the vitamin and mineral adequacy of fast food ought to give pause to anyone who regularly gratifies his yearning for triple-decker super deluxes. 1980, Judith S. Stern, R. V. Denenberg, “The Nutrient Density Score: Measuring Vitamins and Minerals”, in How to Stay Slim and Healthy on the Fast Food Diet, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., page 19
   The deluxes are in Marquesan-style bungalows with a separate bedroom and living room. 1991, Bill Jamison, Cheryl Alters Jamison, Best Places to Stay in Hawaii, 2nd edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Company, page 99
   While entry level rooms are small (225 square feet) and come with queen-size beds only, the king bed “deluxes” are larger. 2004, Jim Kaese, Paul Huddle, The Athletic-Minded Traveler: Where to Work Out and Stay When Fitness is a Priority: Over 500 Recommended Hotels and Fitness Venues, San Diego, Calif.: SoCal Publishing, page 366
   The larger deluxes are comfortable, the apartments are ideal for families, airport transfers are free and so is wi-fi (hallelujah!). 2016, Lindsay Brown, Jean-Bernard Carillet, Anna Kaminski, Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands, Lonely Planet, page 71