the highest point, as of achievement or development; the point at which someone or something is best, perfect, or most successful
David Crystal, in Words, Words, Words, writes: “Eric Partridge … called [slang] ‘the acme and quintessence of spoken and informal language.’ ” When I was growing up, there was a grocery store in town called Acme.
In the olden days, when I was young, there were any number of companies named Acme. There was Acme Nut and Bolt, Acme Machine, Acme Wheel, Acme Harness, Acme Rug, etc, etc. Wonder why a name so widely used in commerce simply falls from common use? I guess it’s replaced by something people think of as grander than Acme. I think it’s a good name, and I was sorry to see it go. But, then, I could have named our company Acme Controls, right?