Alternative spelling of rank and file

(military) To close the spacing between lines (ranks) of troops, as they are deployed across a battlefield, thereby decreasing the depth of the formation as it faces the enemy side.

(idiomatic) To assert one's authority over a subordinate who disagrees.

Of the highest rank

An area reserved for taxi cabs to await customers. / (Britain) The system whereby barristers must accept a brief if they are the first available when one comes up.

Enlisted soldiers in a military organization, as would be arrayed in a grid pattern with ranks and files. / (idiomatic) Members of an organization who are not in leadership positions.

A specified position in a numbered series.

At an important, elevated, or exalted level in a hierarchy or organization; high-level.

plural of flag rank

(nautical, Royal Navy) The rank of a flag officer. / Any of several equivalent ranks in several other naval or other military organizations.