Ideas above one's station

Ideas above one's station - is that the same as having airs and graces or does it describe a class system in which having thoughts about matters regarded as the preserve of a higher class is forbidden or at least frowned upon?

The latter interpretation is correct. To do anything "above one's station" is to act presumptuously, as if one occupied a higher position. The context needn't be a class system in the sociological sense. Imagine a first-year law student arguing with the chief justice of the Supreme Court. ~rb

Or a casual junior worker arguing with a senior manager on their first day. Pamela