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High Street?

Reader question:

In this passage –Sales on the high street suffered their worst ever fall last month, adding to evidence that the UK is heading into recession and prompting renewed calls for an urgent cut in interest rates (High street sales plunge 3.9%, guardian.co.uk, July 24, 2008) – what does "high Street" mean?

My comments:

Here, "high street sales" means retail sales or sales in shops in general.

High street is British English. It refers to the main street of a city where the biggest shops and businesses are. It's similar to what Americans call "downtown" or what we call CBD in Beijing. In Beijing, the high street or downtown used to be Wangfujing. It still is, but seems to be giving way to areas round Dabeiyao, the CBD (Central Business District). Some locals, by the way, do interpret the new catchword of CBD as China, Beijing, Dabeiyao, though more in jest than by mistake.

In quite a few phrases and idioms, the adjective "high" is coupled with a noun to differentiate the noun from the ordinary. High wind, for example, means strong wind. High society, on the other hand, refers to people of the highest social class. High finance, in turn, involves large sums of money. If you're in high spirits, you're having lots of fun. If somebody has a high opinion of you, they approve of you. During the high season, businesses thrive. If you lead a high life, you travel, wine and dine, party all the time. And if you wear high heels, well, walk, or wobble, but don't run.