pay graden.
/ˈpeɪ ɡreɪd/, U.S. /ˈpeɪ ˌɡreɪd/ Originally U.S.
1. A grade or level on a pay scale.Originally in the U.S. armed forces; now particularly used in public sector employment.
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1883 Cases Court of Claims (U.S.) 18 346 The law omits to call these pay divisions grades,..but it indicates pay grades by description... Together they give to the retired chief engineer 75 per centum of the sea-pay of the pay grade..which he held at the time of his retirement.
1946 Marriage & Family Living 8 88 Enlisted men in the four lowest pay grades.
1960 Times 4 Mar. 9/2 The Transport Commission..should consider replacing it by a structure of some 12 pay grades.
1992 G. B. Siegel Public Employee Compensation iii. 56 Grade creep is an upward movement of average pay grade levels over time as a result of misallocations.
2. Chiefly U.S. above one's pay grade: above one's level of professional responsibility; (hence in extended use) beyond one's sphere of knowledge or influence. Also (occasionally) below one's pay grade.
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1981 Aviation Week & Space Technol. 18 Apr. 13/3 When asked about the delay on the mobility study, Huyser said, ‘That's above my pay grade at the Defense Dept. Our contribution on it is complete’.
1987 Record (Bergen County, New Jersey) (Nexis) 17 Sept. a20 Webb repeatedly refused to estimate how long U.S. forces would remain in the gulf... Employing Navy slang, Webb commented: ‘That's a little bit above my pay grade.’
1992 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 23 Feb. a1/1 I wouldn't consider it below my pay grade to help out.
2003 Washington Times 27 Mar. c11 Predicting the future of mankind is above my pay-grade.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1883