firstadj.adv.n.²

Brit.

/fəːst/, U.S.

/fərst/

Forms:

α. Old English fyrest (rare), Old English–1600s fyrst, late Old English– first, early Middle English firest (south-east midlands), early Middle English firrst ( Ormulum), early Middle English syst (transmission error), early Middle English veorst (south-western), Middle English feirst (northern), Middle English ferest (northern), Middle English ferste (chiefly south-eastern), Middle English fferste, Middle English firist, Middle English uerst (southern), Middle English uurst (south-west midlands), Middle English verst (southern), Middle English virst (south-west midlands), Middle English virste (south-west midlands), Middle English vorst (south-western), Middle English (chiefly south-eastern) 1500s–1600s ferst, Middle English (south-western) 1600s (Irish English) forst, Middle English (south-west midlands) 1800s (Irish English (Wexford)) vurst, Middle English–1500s ffurst, Middle English–1500s ffyrst, Middle English–1600s ffirst, Middle English–1600s firste, Middle English–1600s furste, Middle English–1600s fyrste, Middle English–1600s (1900s– Irish English (northern)) furst, 1500s fereste, 1500s fferst, 1500s ffurste, 1500s firs, 1500s fiste, 1500s fourst, 1500s–1700s fust, 1600s fuirst (Irish English), 1800s vursth (Irish English (Wexford)); English regional 1700s vurst (southern), 1800s– fosst (Yorkshire), 1800s– fost (northern), 1800s– furst, 1800s– fust (southern), 1800s– vust (Berkshire); Scottish pre-1700 fairst, pre-1700 firste, pre-1700 fyrst, pre-1700 fyrste, pre-1700 1700s ferst, pre-1700 1700s– first, pre-1700 1700s– furst, 1700s fist, 1800s fisst, 1900s– firs; N.E.D. (1896) also records a form Middle English ferist.

β. Middle English ffryst, Middle English frest, Middle English freste, Middle English friste, Middle English frost, Middle English fruste, Middle English fryst, Middle English–1500s fryste, Middle English–1600s frist, 1500s fruist; Scottish pre-1700 frest, pre-1700 frist, pre-1700 fryst.

Also represented by the abbreviations 1st, 1^st.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymon: Saxon furisto.

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian ferost , ferist , ferst (adjective), ferest , fērst (adjective and adverb), Middle Dutch vorst (adjective and adverb; Dutch voorst ), Old Saxon furisto (adjective; Middle Low German vȫrste , vȫreste ), Old High German furist (adjective and adverb), furisto (adjective), Old Icelandic fyrstr (adjective), fyrst (adverb), Old Swedish fyrster (adjective; Swedish förste ), Old Danish fyrste , første , furste (adjective) (Danish første ) < the Germanic base of fore adv. + the Germanic base of -est suffix. Compare forme adj.¹, foremost adj. and adv. Corresponding comparative forms. Compare the corresponding comparative forms (compare -er suffix³) Middle Low German vȫrer (adverb), Old High German furiro (adjective), Old Icelandic fyrri (adjective), fyrr (adverb). History of use as ordinal of ‘one’. Most of the Indo-European languages had no regularly-formed ordinal of the number one, and in many of them, this function is performed by words derived from the base of fore adv., chiefly with the addition of superlative suffixes. Compare e.g. Sanskrit prathama , Old Church Slavonic prŭvŭ , Old Russian p′rv′′ , ancient Greek πρῶτος , πρώτιστος , classical Latin prīmus . In Old English the ordinal of ‘one’ was expressed by adjectival superlative forms derived from bases meaning ‘early’ or ‘front’: compare Old English forma forme adj.¹, from the same base as the present word (apparently originally meaning ‘front’) but with a different superlative suffix ( < the same Indo-European base as classical Latin -mō -mo suffix), and compare also (with further addition of -est suffix) fyrmest , formest (see foremost adj. and foremost adv.); compare also, from a different base with the core meaning ‘early’, ærest erst adj., cognates of which are the usual ordinals of ‘one’ in other West Germanic languages (compare forms cited at erst adj.). The adjective fyrest , although apparently a regularly formed superlative, is rare before late Old English, and it is uncertain whether it could function as an ordinal in early use. Use with reference to position (compare sense A. 2a) may be early, if the word was already present in the lost early Kentish original of the passage from which quot. lOE at sense A. 2a is taken. Otherwise, use with reference to rank (compare sense A. 1a) is attested earliest, although these early attestations tend to be problematic. Thus quot. eOE at sense A. 1a shows otherwise unconfirmed transmission in an early modern transcript, quot. OE¹ at sense A. 1a shows a probable attestation in a crux in a frequently difficult poem, and it has been suggested that quot. OE² at sense A. 1a may reflect Scandinavian influence, as it ultimately goes back to an oral account by a traveller from Norway. Perhaps the word was more current in varieties of Old English that are not well attested, such as Mercian; compare its early use as ordinal in the Peterborough Chronicle (see sense A. 3a). With the spread of the use of the word as ordinal compare the converse tendency of foremost adj. to become associated more closely again with its cognate fore adv., both formally and semantically. Form history. The Old English form fyrest (see α. forms) shows i-mutation of the stem vowel u of the inherited base caused by the original vowel of the suffix (compare discussion at -est suffix); the modern English standard form shows the regular east midland and northern reflex of the mutated vowel. Syncope of the vowel of the second syllable (as in Old English fyrst ) was probably extended analogically from inflected forms of the adjective. The adverb is formally identically with the uninflected form of the adjective already in Old English. The β. forms show metathesis of r. Use as noun. There appears to be no trace in English of the use as noun in the sense ‘leader, prince’ that is shown by Old Dutch furisto (Middle Dutch vorste, vorst, Dutch vorst), Old Saxon furisto (Middle Low German vörste, vürste), Old High German furisto (Middle High German vürste, German Fürst), unless it is shown by the place name Fristesfeld, Wiltshire (1086; name of a lost estate surviving as the name of Frustfield Hundred).

A. adj. That is before all others; earliest in time or serial order, foremost in position, rank, or importance. Frequently as a numeral adjective, the ordinal of one adj., n., and pron. (written 1st).

a. Preceding all others in status, rank, importance, or excellence; that comes at the beginning of a series arranged in order of rank or estimation; foremost, highest.Now rarely with reference to social status; with reference to rank, now mainly in official titles (as first officer n., first minister n., first magistrate n. at Compounds 1b(b)); otherwise chiefly with admixture of senses A. 3 or A. 4.The sense of quot. OE¹ is much disputed. It may alternatively show sense A. 4a; interpretation as an adverb and even emendation as a transmission error have also been suggested.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > pre-eminence > [adjective]

firsteOE

headOE

highOE

greatc1350

upperestc1374

chief1377

singular1377

principala1382

royalc1425

cardinal1440

pre-eminenta1460

praisea1475

main1480

maina1525

primary1565

captain1566

arch1574

mistressa1586

capital1597

topless1609

primea1616

metropolitan1635

transeminent1660

whole1675

uppermost1680

primus inter pares1688

topping1694

Sudder1787

par excellence1839

banner1840

primatial1892

eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Tiber.) (Junius transcript) (1871) xiv. 81 Hu se lareow sceal beon on his weorcum fyrest [Hatton fyrmest].

OE Exodus 399 Adfyr onbran; fyrst ferhðbana no þy fægra [perh. read fægenra] wæs.

OE Acct. Voy. Ohthere & Wulfstan in tr. Orosius Hist. (Tiber.) (1980) i. i. 15 He wæs mid þæm fyrstum mannum on þæm lande.

c1175 Ælfric Lives of Saints (Bodl.) (Dict. Old Eng. transcript) (1900) II. 316 On þam floten wæron ða fyrstan [OE Julius fyrmestan] heafodmen Hinguar & Hubba.

c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 7475 Þe kynges first conseiler.

c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Prioress's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 106 Oure firste foo, the Serpent Sathanas.

1548 W. Patten Exped. Scotl. sig. H.iiij It was counted for the fyrst parte of medecine, too haue it [sc. the finger] quite cut awaye.

1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa i. ii. 37 The Apostles were all first, and all last, without any difference of priority.

1720 J. Ozell et al. tr. R. A. de Vertot Hist. Revol. Rom. Republic II. xiv. 346 Courage, a General's first Quality.

1737 S. Whatley tr. K. L. von Pöllnitz Mem. I. xxvi. 415 Apollonia actually passes for the finest Singer, and Anna-Maria's for the first Violin in Italy.

1770 J. Langhorne & W. Langhorne tr. Plutarch Lives IV. 63 Eumenes..raised himself to the first military employments.

1798 Anti-Jacobin 11 June 243/1 The Song of Rogero..is admitted on all hands to be in the very first taste.

1821 W. Taylor in Monthly Rev. 95 538 Fruit and vegetables, articles of the first necessity at Naples.

1837 H. Martineau Society in Amer. III. 30 I was told a great deal about ‘the first people in Boston’.

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 370 There were coffee houses where the first medical men might be consulted.

1901 Anaconda (Montana) Standard 1 Apr. 9/2 I became the first comedian of the Walnut Street company.

1926 A. Bennett Lord Raingo xix Just like her! She would put last things first.

1959 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Arts July in J. Summerson Unromantic Castle (1990) vi. 109 A Thames-side villa of the very first importance was, of course, Lord Burlington's at Chiswick.

1991 A. Roddick Body & Soul xi. 239 The supposition that the first duty of business was to look after Number One.

b. Music. (a) In a piece of music: designating the highest or chief of two or more parts for the same instrument or voice; (also) designating an instrumentalist, singer, or section of an ensemble performing this part. (b) In an orchestra, company, etc.: designating the principal player or singer of a given instrument or voice.Frequently used metonymically, with the instrument, voice, or part denoting the performer.to play first fiddle, violin: see the nouns.

ΚΠ

1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes i. f. 87^v The maister chauntres that sette the kaye, or take the first parte of a song to begynne it in a quiere.

1608 B. Jonson Masque of Beautie sig. E2, in Characters Two Royall Masques The Musique, appointed to celebrate them, shew'd it could be silent no longer: but by the first Tenor, admir'd them thus.

1659 C. Simpson Division-violist ii. 48 Them that Play on the Viols..I will distinguish by..B. for First Basse, and C. for the Second.

1760 Gentleman's & London Mag. June 309/1 Cardinal Ottoboni..kept a band..in which the celebrated Corelli played the first violin.

1786 T. Busby Compl. Dict. Music Primo (Ital.). First: as Primo Violono [sic], first violin; Primo Flauto, first flute.

1826 Q. Mus. Mag. & Rev. 8 482 The subject is given, inverted by the first violin, answered in its proper intervals by the violoncello.

1884 Manch. Examiner 19 Feb. 5/2 The plaintiff..was engaged as first tenor at the Comedy Theatre.

1889 Cent. Dict. Concert-master, the first violinist of an orchestra; the leader.

1937 G. Goodwin White Farm & other Stories i. 39 His father was first violin in the local musical society.

1994 T. Libbey NPR Guide to building Classical CD Coll. iii. 336 Mozart pulled out his viola as well, and the two friends took turns playing the first part.

2007 Church Times 26 Oct. 14/4 The first basses (I'm a first bass) come soaring in loudly as they can..over four brass orchestras and 20 timpani.

c. Designating the winning or leading person, team, etc., or the winning or leading position, in a contest or competition.

ΚΠ

1832 Libr. of Fine Arts Sept. 143 Strain every nerve to be first in the race.

1847 Bell's Life in London 1 Aug. 3/4 Archery... Miss Lambart and Miss Radcliff, as usual, maintained the first place in the competition for the prizes.

1891 Pall Mall Gaz. 1 Oct. 1/1 Cycling..an exciting struggle at top speed resulted in A. C. Edwards just pipping A. T. Mole for first place.

1927 Irish Times 4 Aug. 8/3 Miss Culwick's Dublin choir won the..prizes in the competitions for ladies' choirs... A Dublin trio was first in the contest for trios.

1952 Motor Boating Aug. 108/2 The alert Lenk swung into the proper harbor and roared over the finish line in first spot.

1984 Times 28 Sept. 21/5 Skelton's early lead on Everest Radius was quickly overtaken by Pyrah, who then remained in first place until Skelton reappeared.

1998 Muscle News No. 33. 13/2 Just squeaking in first position was Denise Nevin.

2007 D. S. Wilson Evol. for Everyone xxiii. 174 Matt..was captain of his football team and took first place at the New York State Powerlifting Championships.

d. Sport. Designating the team made up of the best players available to a club, county, school, etc., and representing it at the highest level of competition. Also in extended use. Cf. reserve adj. 3.Frequently followed by the number of players making up a team in the sport in question, as first eleven (esp. in cricket), first fifteen (in rugby union), first eight (in rowing), etc.

ΚΠ

1836 New Sporting Mag. July 200 The first eleven of the University [Cricket] Club against the next nine, with Messrs. Fenner and Caldecourt.

1877 Newtonian Nov. 91 Their [sc. Jesus College's] first boat last year was as good as the 'Varsity.

1879 Boy's Own Paper 18 Jan. 1/3 I..was despairing of ever rising to win my ‘first fifteen cap’.

1898 R. Kipling Day's Work 391 In the black jersey..of the First Fifteen, the new match-ball under his arm.

1919 N.Y. Times 23 Dec. 11 A snappy signal session of fifteen minutes ensued, with Murray quarter-backing the first team.

1944 Fortune Mar. 122/1 The Anglo-American ‘first team’ is in London—Eisenhower, Tedder, and Montgomery.

1963 Times 17 Apr. 3/1 P. K. Thomas, a consistent run-scorer in the Colts, is expected to mature with the first XI experience.

1999 Regatta Feb. 9/3 The Stewards' view is that Henley should provide an event for the first eights of as many schools as possible.

2008 J. O. Coffey & B. Wood 100 Years 99 Enoka was..the head boy and first XV captain at Christchurch Technical College.

a. Of something at rest or in motion: foremost or most advanced in position.In quot. lOE (in a late copy of a 7th-cent. legal code) designating the front teeth. Since Middle English applied to the foremost of a series of things, and now largely merged with sense A. 3.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > front > [adjective]

furtherc1000

foremostc1275

formerc1384

farther1398

fornec1440

fore?a1513

forme1523

anterior1611

first1647

head1691

vanward1820

leading1825

forwardmost1834

the world > movement > progressive motion > order of movement > going first or in front > [adjective]

foregoing1530

headmost1592

beginning1609

first1647

previous1658

forehand1664

leading1771

lead1846

vanmost1865

front flight1899

lOE Laws of Æðelberht (Rochester) li. 6 Æt þam feower toðum fyrestum, æt gehwylcum vi scillingas.

c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1978) l. 11878 Riden..heredringes, in þan forste [c1275 Calig. feoremeste] flocke fourti hondred.

c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 1996 Sendeþ..Airchillaus in þe first ward.

a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Merlin (1932) III. l. 27487 A Kynges baner..Euere jn the ferste front scholde hit be.

a1500 (?c1450) Merlin (1899) xviii. 293 While thei spake thus to-geder approched the cariage of the roche and weren in the firste fronte xxml of hem that sholde it conditen, and xxml in the taile after.

1597 E. Hoby tr. B. de Mendoza Theorique & Practise Warre 68 To close vp the first horse, can not be done without danger.

1647 R. Stapleton tr. Juvenal Sixteen Satyrs 218 The first-file of orators.

1657 J. Davies tr. H. D'Urfé Astrea I. 178 Five or six came galloping up with all their fury, and he having run his sword into the first Horse, it broke at the very hilt.

1710 R. Steele Tatler No. 130. ⁋12 They shall have a Place kept for them in the first Row of the Middle Gallery.

1797 C. Smith Let. 25 Apr. (2003) 267 The trees..on the left margin in the first distance are very shelly, not to say wiggy.

1847 ‘A Bengali’ Notes on Cape Good Hope 76 A little Hottentot boy or ‘voor-loopa’ usually leads the first pair.

1859 F. C. L. Wraxall tr. J. E. Robert-Houdin Mem. I. iv. 55 He..installed me on the first row of seats, grandly denominated ‘the stalls’.

1926 E. Hemingway Sun also Rises xv. 167 I had taken six seats..three of them were barreras, the first row at the ringside.

1990 S. Johnson Flying Lessons xiv. 106 Sitting spick and span in the first pew, their hymn books neatly on their laps.

b. As the second element in adverbial phrases describing motion with a specified part in front, as feet first. Cf. foremost adj. 3d.face-, head, nose, tail-first: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > front > at or in (the) front [phrase] > with specific part in front

head, end, stern, etc. foremost1697

feet first1780

1627 J. Speed Prospect most Famovs Parts World 35/1 When they had once tried their strength, and found their Forces sufficient in behalfe of others, they..turned head first upon their pay-masters.

1780 Proc. Old Bailey 6 Dec. 36/1 We got her out with difficulty; she had got in feet first.

1820 W. Scoresby Acct. Arctic Regions I. 401 A violent storm of wind dashed her..stern first, against a floe of ice.

1888 H. Palmer in Outing Nov. 164/1 He will plunge head first, or feet first, for the bag.

1989 ‘C. Roman’ Foreplay ix. 109 She falls arse first in the garbage pail.

2005 C. Cleave Incendiary 221 I went in feet first and I went very far down.

a. Preceding all others in a series, succession, order, set, or enumeration.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being the best > [adjective]

highestOE

bestOE

firstlOE

greatest?c1225

of the besta1350

premiera1500

paramount1530

supremec1550

supreme1571

primer1589

top1647

nulli secundus1742

bestest1751

first class1819

beatemest1831

par excellence1839

première1844

first rate1853

beatenest1860

blue ribbon1860

optimum1885

optimal1890

class A1906

all-star1908

grade A1911

five-star1931

mostest1936

tip-topmost1937

the end1950

the most1953

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > succession or following in time > [adjective] > preceding others in a succession

firstlOE

the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adjective]

erstOE

foremostc1000

firstlOE

onec1384

firstmosta1400

primec1429

firstena1600

fust1851

the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > preceding or following in order > [adjective] > preceding in order > first in order

erstOE

foremostc1000

firstlOE

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 963 Sancte Dunstan him gehalgod to biscop on þe fyrste Sunnondæg of Aduent.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 16434 Þe firrste staff iss nemmnedd .a. Onn ure latin spæche.

?c1335 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 115 Of þe x commandemens..Þe first comondement is þis: O god we ssul honuri.

a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 11 We seie is hoot in þe firste degree, þat is I-heet of kyndely heete.

1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope ii. Proem A fable whiche is the fyrst and formost of this second book.

a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. lxviii. f. xxv In the firste Chapitre of the .ix. tytle of his werke called S[umma] Antonini.

1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. L5 He maketh Quaile the first dish of the first course.

1600 Abp. G. Abbot Expos. Prophet Ionah iv. 78 Each man marked his lot, and put it into the helmet of Agamemnon. The first turne fell to Aiax.

1670 Lady M. Bertie in 12th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1890) App. v. 22 The second part..is then the first time acted.

1716 M. Hole Pract. Disc. Liturgy Church of Eng. I. liv. 424 The first Hymn appointed to be said or sung after the Second Lesson of the Evening-Service.

1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer ii. 23 The first blow is half the battle.

1827 T. Jarman Powell's Ess. Learning of Devises (ed. 3) II. 291 The testator had a first marriage in contemplation.

1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam lxxxiii. 122 First love, first friendship, equal powers That marry with the virgin heart.

1871 A. A. Lyne Midshipmen's Trip Jerusalem iv. 24 I..took the first turning on the left, Christian Street, and went to the Turkish baths there.

1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles III. xviii. 228 Mr. Clare the elder, whose first wife had died and left him a daughter, married a second late in life.

1927 E. V. Gordon Introd. Old Norse 161 The first letter of each rune-name gives the value of the rune.

1965 A. L. Rowse Diary 24 Nov. (2003) 358 He certainly was pretty wary, no pitfalls for him (always excepting that first marriage).

1995 For Him Mag. Sept. 71/1 I sat down and wrote the first draft quite quickly, having had the ideas bubbling around in my head for probably a couple of years.

2008 Independent 16 Aug. (Mag.) 49/1 As the first dish arrived, a crisp, golden dome of masala dosa.., it was clear that this was the real deal.

b. With the (or occasionally a demonstrative determiner) and a cardinal numeral, designating a number of items that precede all the others. Cf. two adj. 1b.

(a) Preceding the cardinal numeral.Always the more usual order with numerals higher than 4. Between 1500 and 1800, with numerals up to 4, somewhat less frequent than the order at sense A. 3b(b). The statement of N.E.D. (1896) that ‘for numbers up to 3 or 4 many writers use it only when the number specified is viewed as a collective unity contrasted with the second or some succeeding 2, 3, or 4 in the series’ is difficult to establish from the evidence.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adjective] > first in numerical order

firsta1325

the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > preceding or following in order > [adjective] > preceding in order > first in order > with cardinal numbers

firsta1325

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2131 Ðo .vij. ger, ben get to cumen.., And .vij. oðere sulen after ben... Al ðat ðise first .vij. maken Sulen ðis oðere vii. rospen & raken.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. ii. 896 Þe firste tweyne nedeþ to generacioun of þe plaunte.

?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 152, in Middle Eng. Dict. at Prune Þou schalt diete þe pacient þe firste þre dayes..wiþ water of barlye and of prunes.

1439 in Collectanea Topographica & Genealogica (1838) V. 14 That he shuld haue tho CC marc payid to him withinne ye firste iiij yere.

?1521 J. Fisher Serm. agayn Luther sig. Aiij The fyrst .iij. instruccyons..shall vndermyne .iij. great groundes, wher vpon Martyn dothe stable in maner all his articles.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement Introd. p. xvii Any of the fyrst thre vowels A, E or O.

1592 H. Broughton Apol. in Briefe Assertions To Rdr. sig. A^v From the end of the Babylonian captiuitie, the first seauen must be reckoned: and the last hath in it our Lords death.

1593 T. Fale Horologiographia f. 35 Omitting likewise y^e first three, &c.

1647 W. Lilly Christian Astrol. clxxi. 733 If the Native be borne by day, the ☉ governes the first seven yeers after the Birth, ♀ the next seven.

1654 J. Bramhall Just Vindic. Church of Eng. i. 2 For the first six hundred years and upwards.

1705 T. Hearne Ductor Historicus (ed. 2) I. ii. v. 158 He wrote the Life of Alexander in X. Books, whereof the first two are lost.

1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews I. i. v. 19 During the first six Days the poor Lady admitted none but Mrs. Slipslop.

1806 J. W. Callcott Musical Gram. ii. 4 The Notes of Music are named from the first seven letters of the alphabet, A, B, C, D, E, F, G.

1860 C. J. Ellicott Hist. Lect. Life Our Lord viii. 372 The first two Evangelists.

1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 667 In carefully nursed children it is generally observed in the first two months.

1927 Daily Express 21 Nov. 3/1 Earl Beauchamp opened the first six cottages of a ‘home-crofting’ experiment.

1969 Guardian 9 Aug. 8/3 The first two letters of the Postcode route the letter to the distant mail-handling centre.

2009 GQ Feb. 45/3 We did a test shoot and it ended up being the first three minutes of the movie.

(b) Following the cardinal numeral.Since 1900 relatively rare, and almost never used with numerals higher than 4. See further note at sense A. 3b(a).

ΚΠ

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 11 (MED) Þis byeþ þe ten hestes, huer-of þe þri uerste ous diȝt wel to god, Þe oþre zeuen ous diȝt to oure nixte.

J. Gaytryge Lay Folks' Catech. (York Min.) (1901) l. 382 Of whilk suen [sc. virtues] the thre first, that er heued thewes, Teches us [etc.].

a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 299 Þe iij firste moneþis.

a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1869) I. 44 In tyme of Crist weren þre sectis of religions, Pharises, Saduceis, and Esses, but of þe two first makiþ þis gospel mencioun.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection Pref. sig. Ai Of the whiche thre bokes, the two first: be but as prefaces.

1566 J. Rastell Treat.: Beware of M. Iewel To Rdr. sig. Aiv^v A short Table or Sum [of] the State of the Question conteined in euery of the foure first Articles.

a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xxv. sig. Ee6 But her vnleasured thoughtes ran not ouer the ten first wordes.

1650 R. Stapleton tr. F. Strada De Bello Belgico i. 13 The two first dayes the King..had the Victory.

1685 R. Baxter Paraphr. New Test. John viii. 3 The last Verse of the foregoing Chapter and the eleven first Verses of this Chapter.

1751 J. Harris Hermes i. vii. 120 The three first of these Tenses we call the Inceptive Present, the Inceptive Past, and the Inceptive Future.

1781 S. Johnson Pope in Pref. Wks. Eng. Poets VII. 328 Each of the six first lines of the Iliad might lose two syllables.

1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. 197 During the five first ages of the city.

1805 W. Clark Jrnl. 10 July in Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. (1987) IV. 372 I deturmined to make Canoes out of the two first trees we had fallen.

1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede II. ii. xviii. 23 On wet Sundays, or whenever he had a touch of rheumatism, he used to read the three first chapters of Genesis.

1894 A. B. Gomme Trad. Games I. 15 The children form a ring, joining hands, and dance round singing the two first lines.

1941 K. O'Brien Land of Spices i. iii. 33 Anyway, I have only the three first verses to say, so my troubles will be over in a jiffy after we start.

1961 J. Stubblefield Davies's Introd. Palaeontol. (ed. 3) ii. 61 The two first are equivalve, without curved beaks, while Inoceramus is inequivalve, and has beaks incurved.

2002 Ann. Bot. 89 5/1 The two first wheat BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) libraries were constructed in 1999.

†(c) With the first following the cardinal numeral. one the first: the first one. Obsolete.With this construction compare one pron. 3a.

ΚΠ

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1882) VIII. 51 Þre þe firste were þe articules þat he hadde i-swore in his crownynge.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iv. l. 2606 (MED) Hermes was on the ferste of alle, To whom this art is most applied.

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) v. l. 855 (MED) Vlixes..With oon þe first gan to excuse.

1447 in S. A. Moore Lett. & Papers J. Shillingford (1871) i. 28 As ye have..allegged by two the furst divers articulis.

1502 tr. Ordynarye of Crysten Men (de Worde) ii. v. sig. i.v The thynge commaunded than pryncypally in the thre the fyrst commaundementes is charyte ayenst all the blessyd trynyte.

1541 T. Elyot Image of Gouernance xxiv. f. 48 In eyght the fyrste yeres of his empire.

1556 J. Olde tr. R. Gwalther Antichrist f. 70 All the hole mater of him might be comprehended in six chaptres, or proposicions. And therfore I haue lately expounded two the furst.

c. Originally U.S. colloquial. In negative contexts: even or so much as the first; even one, a single; the least. Now chiefly in not to know the first thing about: see Phrases 3f.

ΚΠ

1839 New Eng. Farmer 14 Aug. 52/2 They won't cost me the first red cent.

1840 Southern Lit. Messenger Apr. 245/1 The major was a hard-money man, and never could have the first notion of a bank driven into his head.

1849 Let. in N.Y. Tribune 23 May 2/2 On my knees, which I couldn't move the first inch.

1857 W. A. Gilbert Speech in Ho. Reps. 27 Feb. I am not aware of having committed the first act which would bring upon me the displeasure of the house.

1913 Pop. Sci. Monthly June 557 A lot of frothy stuff about the glory and responsibility of citizenship, without the first idea of obedience to law and institutions.

1936 M. R. Anand Coolie ii. 73 How difficult he had found things. He had never been taught the first thing about housework.

2003 Daily Tel. 30 Jan. 26/7 As they talked, it became clear that Eunice hadn't the first idea who Cherie was.

a. With regard to time: preceding all others in occurrence, existence, etc.; happening, existing, or presenting itself before the others; earliest.

(a) With a noun or simple noun phrase.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > first or prior to all others

formec888

eldestc897

firstlOE

originalc1350

foremosta1400

furthermost?a1400

primary?a1425

primatea1425

primea1500

arch1574

soon1591

origin1632

utter1634

premier1652

aboriginary1653

furthest1653

fontal1656

principial1699

première1768

protological1936

first-ever1955

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1128 Þa for mid him & æfter him swa micel folc swa næfre ær ne dide siððon þet se firste fare was on Vrbanes dæi pape.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13198 Þeȝȝ wærenn þallre firrste menn.

a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) 494 Ðus fel Adam ðurȝ a tre, Vre firste fader.

1346 in J. B. Heath Some Acct. Worshipful Company of Grocers (1869) 42 At the sayd denner were chosyn ij, the freste Wardynes that ever were of owre fraternyte.

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 162 Fyrste be-getynge, primogenitura.

1483 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 89074) (1881) 132 Þe Firste martyr, prothomartir.

a1500 (?a1425) Ipomedon (Harl.) (1889) l. 783 At þe fryst cokke roose hee.

1538 T. Elyot Dict. Crepundia..the fyrst apparayle of chyldren, as swathels, wastcotes, and such lyke.

1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 131 Fergus..is namet first King of Scottis.

1622 (?a1513) W. Dunbar Poems (Reidpeth) (1998) I. 240 Sen oure first father formed was of clay.

1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ i. iv. §7 Cadmus Milesius, supposed to be the first writer of History.

1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 139 At first view I thought they had some resemblance with those four monsters.

1697 J. Vanbrugh Provok'd Wife i. 4 He is the first Agressor. Not I.

1702 Compar. between Two Stages 22 We'll proceed from the first Celebrated Comedy..and so hand 'em down rough as they run, good and bad, to this time.

1796 Bp. R. Watson Apol. for Bible 74 Is it a story, that our first parents fell from a paradisiacal state?

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 16 Another planted the first vines in the neighbourhood of the Cape of Good Hope.

1868 J. N. Lockyer Elem. Lessons Astron. (1879) v. 193 The first clock in England was made about 1288.

1904 Longman's Mag. Jan. 215 The Revolution..the first American-built turbine boat.

1956 ‘B. Holiday’ & W. Dufty Lady sings Blues ii. 33 The first woman police judge in New York, a tough hard-faced old dame.

2009 Ireland's Eye Jan. 12/1 Baby Marie was the first child star, being only five in 1916 when she made her debut.

(b) With the application defined by a relative or infinitive clause.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > first or prior to all others > first to

firstc1175

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 797 He wass þe firrste mann Þatt brohhte word onn eorþe.

c1300 St. Sebastian (Laud) l. 7 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 177 Þe furste feste þat in þe ȝere comez we cleopiez ȝeres-dai.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 57 Brutons was þe verste [a1400 Trin. Cambr. ferste, c1425 Harl. firste] folc þat to engelonde com.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. xiv. 14 The first slaughter that Ionathas and his wapen bearer dyd, was..with in the length of halue an aker of londe.

1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. viii. 112 The first Shippe that euer was set a flote, was vppon the red Sea.

1601 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor i. iii. sig. C^v I doe fetch my pedegree and name from the first redde herring that was eaten in Adam, & Eues kitchin.

a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Wales 33 The first Organ which was ever seen in the West of Europe, was, what was sent Anno 757 from Constantine the Grecian Emperor, to Pipin King of France.

1706 S. Centlivre Basset-table v. i. 62 I believe you are the First Gamester that ever Refunded.

1762 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting I. vii. 131 The first painter who seems to have made any figure in this reign.

1825 C. Wordsworth in J. H. Overton & E. Worthsworth Life (1888) 36 Crabbe..told us that Lord Chesterfield was the first person who introduced the word ‘unwell’ into common use.

1875 Encycl. Brit. III. 462/2 The first sultan who broke through the orthodox oppression of beardedness was Salim I.

1906 R. N. L. Brown et al. Voy. ‘Scotia’ i. 5 The first vessel to cross the Antarctic circle under steam was the well- known research ship, HMS Challenger.

1963 N. Bawden Secret Passage (1979) ii. 23 The first person who had tried to hedge him in was Mrs Epsom with her endless, boring, ‘Don't do this…don't do that.’

2008 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 15 Apr. d1 The first museum to drop charges for the reproduction of images.

b. With emphatic force, with the implication that the first event or occurrence is of prime importance, is all that is necessary, or is the only one to be regarded or waited for.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > first or prior to all others > and most important

firstc1300

c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 114 Þe children hi broȝte..In to schupes borde At þe furste worde.

?c1425 in J. W. Legg Processional Nuns of Chester (1899) 9 (MED) At the first entre of the priores in to the chapiture to washe hiere Sistres feete on the Suppriores halfe thies antyms shall be songon, [etc.].

c1475 (c1399) Mum & Sothsegger (Cambr. Ll.4.14) (1936) iii. l. 56 Þey folwith þ^e vois at þ^e frist note.

1511 Pylgrymage Richarde Guylforde (Pynson) f. xi To euery Pylgryme at the firste fote that he setteth on londe there is graunted Plenary remyssion.

1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 21 That if she should yeelde at the first assault he woulde thinke hir a lyght huswife.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) i. ix. 5 Let the first Budger dye the others Slaue.

1675 A. Marvell Wks. (1875) II. 433 I have made Crew, Bishop of Durham, and, at the first word of my Lady Portsmouth, Prideaux, Bishop of Chichester.

1699 W. Hacke Coll. Orig. Voy. ii. 39 Some Men of War lay ready to put out after us upon the first News of our being near.

1712 J. Warder True Amazons 73 Dispatches of Guards are sent from the first Disturbance given.

1780 Mirror No. 95. ⁋7 At the first glance I saw into him, and could now twist him round my finger.

a1822 P. B. Shelley Magic Plant in Relics (1862) 16 Like a child's legend on the tideless sand, Which the first foam erases half, and half Leaves legible.

1882 Cincinnati Enquirer 16 Jan. 4/1 The first news received in Cincinnati of the fire in the Planters' House in St. Louis Sunday morning came from Chicago.

1901 F. Norris Octopus ii. vi. 509 ‘Rot the League’, cried Annixter. ‘It's gone to pot—went to pieces at the first touch’.

1995 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch (Nexis) 17 Dec. g9 The book is beautiful from the first glance, with a transparent overcover of a lattice design.

c. Occurring or presenting itself next after a given point of time (expressed or implied).

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > first or prior to all others > after a given point in time

firsta1400

a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) l. 2864 Y made my vow..Þat y shuld sle þe fyrste þyng Þat y mette homwarde for þe batayle.

a1500 (?c1450) Merlin (1899) v. 89 Comaunde her that she do the childe to be delyuered to the firste man that shall mete at issue of the halle.

1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iv. f. 184 The thyrd is Heath Hony, a wyld kind of Hony, and not allowed, being geathered after the first shewers of Autum.

1607 J. Marston What you Will v The first thing her bounty shall fetch is, my blush-colour satin suit from pawn.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. ix. 173 Beest, the first Milk after Calving.

1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 45 The first Business was to get Canoes.

1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron I. iii. vi. 169 Make an experiment on the first Man you meet.

1834 L. Ritchie Wanderings by Seine (1835) 138 The first thing to be done was to secure lodgings.

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 138 One of his first acts, after he became King, was to recall Ormond from Ireland.

1871 M. Collins Marquis & Merchant I. viii. 240 I shall get back to London by the first train.

1902 J. Conrad Heart of Darkness (1973) i. 14 I..opened the first door I came to.

1954 Househ. Guide & Almanac (News of World) 168/1 The first thing anyone should do, on discovering a fire, is to call the fire brigade.

2003 L. F. Winner Mudhouse Sabbath iii. 30 At the first meal after the funeral..the mourner is meant to eat an egg.

d. Of a natural phenomenon: earliest in the season.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > first or prior to all others > of the season

first1530

1530 Bible (Tyndale) Deut. xi. f. xxii He will geue rayne vnto youre londe in due season, both the fyrst rayne and the later.

1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. G3^v The first buds, or yong braunches shooting from the roote.

1658 tr. L. Lemnius Secret Miracles of Nature iii. iii.193 When the spring comes on, and the first Swallow appears.

1793 J. Leslie tr. Comte de Buffon Nat. Hist. Birds VIII. 74 The first snows compel them to leave our climates, and seek milder regions.

1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess v. 104 Pure as lines of green that streak the white Of the first snowdrop's inner leaves.

1860 P. H. Gosse Romance Nat. Hist. 8 The first cuckoo, the first swallow, sent a thrill through our hearts which is not repeated.

1903 B. Carman Poems II. 195 With an air as of April, expectant and still, Ere the first robin calls from the orcharded hill.

1945 Yank 28 Dec. 10 The XIV Corps quartermastered everyone in Korea in woolens before the first snowfall.

1950 E. Portch tr. T. Jansson Finn Family Moomintroll i. 14 One spring morning at four o'clock the first cuckoo arrived in the Valley of the Moomins.

1993 C. B. Divakaruni Arranged Marriage (1997) 7 He taught me the names of all the trees—mango, lichee, kul—and let me taste the first ripe fruits.

2009 S. Millhauser in New Yorker 9 Feb. 95/3 The first snow. From our porches we watched the three-wheeled sweepers move slowly along our streets, carrying it off in big hoppers.

e. Chiefly U.S. Designating an organization, as a church, bank, etc., that is the earliest of its kind in a given community. Frequently in the names of such organizations.

ΚΠ

1702 C. Mather Magnalia Christi Americana iii. vi. 221/1 On Dec. 28. 1674. Died Mr. John Oxenbridge, a Successor to four Famous Johns, in the Pastoral Charge, of the First Church in Boston.

1863 N.Y. Times 10 Apr. 2/5 The contemplated bank will be known as ‘The First National Bank of Cleveland’.

1926 Times 20 Sept. 16/5 He was appointed at the age of 17 organist and choirmaster of the First Methodist Church at St. Thomas, Ontario.

1980 R. B. Parker Looking for Rachel Wallace (2011) xii. 325 ‘I'm meeting with a caucus of women employees at First Mutual Insurance,’ Rachel said.

2010 D. S. Shaffer Profiting in Econ. Storms viii. 100 The same congressmen who in 1811 voted not to renew the charter for the First Bank of the United States voted to charter the Second Bank of the United States.

f. English regional (northern), Scottish, and Irish English (northern). After the name of a day of the week: next, following. Cf. last adj. 7a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > succession or following in time > [adjective] > succeeding or subsequent

followingOE

afterOE

nextOE

suinga1325

suant1422

succedentc1450

after-comingc1454

secondary1471

subsequent1472

succeeding1561

supervenient1565

subsequent1568

consequent1581

proceeding1592

ensuing1604

subsecutive1611

sequenta1616

insequentc1620

postliminious1625

sequel1632

postnate1638

supervening1640

descending1642

forward1643

postventional1645

yondersa1650

succrescent1653

pedissequous1657

subsequential1657

assequent1659

post-nated1659

posthume1662

posterious1672

survenient1677

succedent1688

postliminous1714

first1746

sequelled1805

postliminary1826

thereafter1830

descensive1882

akoluthic1889

1746 D. Cameron Let. 2 Jan. in Whole Proc. House Peers High Treason 151 To meett him att Bannockburn, Saturday first.

1751 G. Sinclair Let. 30 May in A. Lockhart Memorial for Sir John Sinclair (1766) 25 When I go in to Edinburgh, which will be upon Thursday first, I will get a sight of the charter.

1781 D. Ritchie in Southey's Life of A. Bell (1844) I. 252 I..must prepare a new sermon for Sabbath first.

1787 A. Dent Let. 27 May in T. S. Willan Eighteenth-cent. Shopkeeper (1970) vi. 106 Thirty six dozen which shall be forwarded on Thursday first.

1834 J. W. Carlyle Let. 27 May in A. McQueen Simpson & M. McQueen Simpson I too am Here (1977) 110 There is no earthly objection to my sailing on Friday first.

1860 Minutes of Evid. Select Comm. Carlisle Election Petition 9 in Parl. Papers (H.C. 126) XI. 33 This letter..has these Words: ‘You must be in Carlisle on Thursday night first, as the election will take place on Friday first’, that is ‘next’.

1890 Glasgow Herald 24 Mar. 1/1 Tickets for the special service in the Cathedral, on Thursday first.

1904 Weekly Irish Times 17 Sept. 22/1 In Ulster ‘next Monday’ is ‘Monday first.’

1996 C. I. Macafee Conc. Ulster Dict. 125/2 First, of days of the week next, coming e.g. Tuesday first.

B. adv.

a. Before any other or anything else, in time, serial order, rank, etc.; before anything else is done or takes place. See also first and foremost at Phrases 2b, first of all at Phrases 2f.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > preceding or following in order > [adverb] > near the beginning > first in order

firstlOE

aforewarda1200

firstlya1475

firstlins1827

the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adverb] > first of all

firstlOE

first and forward1362

first and foremostc1400

first of alla1522

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 963 Se biscop com þa fyrst to Elig.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6876 Forr þi comenn þeȝȝ himm firrst To sekenn i þatt ende.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 7868 To chirchen & to poueremen he ȝef verst [c1425 Harl. vorst] as he ssolde.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 22879 Bi his wille doþ þat kyng Out of þe harde tre to spryng Forst þe leef & þenne þe flour And siþen fruyt.

1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. 542 Iulius Cesar..Off Rome wes fryst maid emperour.

1521 in J. W. Clay Testamenta Eboracensia (1902) VI. 6 First I will my saull to God Almyghtie.

1596 W. Raleigh Let. 21 June (1999) 146 I went first aborde the Earl and afterward to the Admirall.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 376 Who first, who last, Rous'd from the slumber, on that fiery Couch.

1718 M. Prior Alma iii, in Poems Several Occasions (new ed.) 373 Who first offend will first complain.

1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 68/1 Having received that money, I will pay you first, and after that will pay others.

1814 W. Wordsworth Excursion i. 27 O Sir! the good die first .

1847 J. Keble Serm. Academical & Occas. xi. 275 The two who first saw our Lord.

1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 88 Your wet ropes..give blisters first And then a horny hand.

1972 Financial Times 28 July 13/1 (advt.) Whatever the message you have to convey, first get your facts right.

2004 S. Mehta Maximum City 238 The assistant serves the women first.

†b. At first, originally. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > beginning > [adverb]

firstlOE

beginninglya1340

originally1430

firstly1605

initiallya1628

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 675 Ic Saxulf þe wæs first abbot & nu eam biscop.

c1300 St. Dunstan (Laud) l. 44 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 20 Ech Abbeie of Enguelonde þat of blake Monekes is Of þe hous of Gastingburi furst sprong and cam.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 5373 Frist was he here as vr thrall, Nou vnder me es he mast of all.

a1500 (?a1400) Morte Arthur (1903) l. 1151 Thy curtessy was All be-hynde Whan thou thoo sawes freste began.

1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales ii. xviii. 58 Plancina growing more insolent, then first changed the mourning weede..into a ioifull attire.

a1687 E. Waller Battle of Summer Islands in Poems (1893) 67 Heaven sure has kept this spot of earth uncurst, To show how all things were created first.

c. In a statement, discourse, or argument, where points or topics are enumerated: in the first place, as the first thing to be mentioned or considered, firstly.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adverb] > in the first place

firstlOE

ora1300

imprimis1465

once1523

originally1533

primely1610

in the first instancea1676

for one thing1767

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 656 Ðas sindon þa witnes þe þær wæron... Ðet wæs first seo kyning Wulfere.

c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. vii. l. 15 For ich formest and ferst..Haue ybe vnboxome.

c1400 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 441 Þai say furst, þat [etc.].

c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Melibeus (Hengwrt) (2003) §273 First & forward ye han erred in the assemblyng of youre conseillours.

a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 193 Matremony ys to be commendid for many caussis..fruste, for the auctorite of almyghty god.

1644 H. Parker Jus Populi 39 I make answer First..Secondly..Thirdly.

1718 in G. Lamoine Charges to Grand Jury (1992) 98 Forgery..punishable at common Law..has two Divisions. First, its the falsly forging or making..of any intire Deed, Court-Roll, or Will of any Person.

1799 F. Hervey Let. 28 Mar. in B. Fothergill Mitred Earl (1974) vii. 232 Those doubly damn'd miscreants, first as French, secondly as Reps.

1847 T. De Quincey Spanish Mil. Nun §5 First (for I detest your ridiculous and most pedantic neologism of firstly).

1904 E. G. Taylor Daughter of Dale i. 18 Of course you deserve a good round penalty, first for stealing, and secondly for being so silly as to get caught.

1952 G. Vidal Judgm. of Paris i. 17 I must say that, first, he is young and that, second, he is handsome.

2012 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 16 Aug. 76/1 Why are ‘some great names’ missing from the book? ‘I offer two excuses: first, quarts and pint pots; and second, isn't this book big enough?’

2. For the first time, then and not earlier (with reference to a specified time, place, etc.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adverb] > earliest or first of all

foremostOE

erstOE

firstc1180

aforewarda1200

erstly1600

the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adverb] > for the first time

firstc1180

firstlyc1380

c1180 Notes to Hexateuch (Claud. B.iv) in A. N. Doane & W. P. Stoneman Purloined Lett. (2011) 40 Næs nan wuna her ða flode flæsches to notiena, æc her fyrst.

c1300 St. Brendan (Laud) 251 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 226 Ȝeot after þat seint Brendan þis yle furst saiȝ [emended to y-seiȝ in ed.], Fourti dawes heo wenden in þe se er huy comen þere neiȝ.

a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 648 (MED) Þus was ferst here sad sorwe sesed þat time.

?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 47 Fro þare may pilgrimes first see to Ierusalem.

a1500 in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 164 Whan seyntes ffelle ffryst ffrom heuen.

1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets civ. sig. G2^v For as you were when first your eye I eyde, Such seemes your beautie still.

1662 S. Pepys Diary 23 May (1970) III. 90 Here among the Fidlers I first saw a Dulcimore played on, with sticks knocking of the strings, and is very pretty.

1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron I. i. i. 5 I knew him first at the Temple.

1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 25/1 When was it that you first heard mention of the bond?

1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam xxxix. 60 A maiden in the day When first she wears her orange-flower!

1896 M. Beerbohm in Yellow Bk. 9 169 The Antiguan was already on the brink of middle-age when he first trod the English shore.

1925 A. J. Whyte tr. C. B. Cavour Let. in Early Life & Lett. Cavour vii. 191 Love me, Camille,..love me that I may never rue the hour when first I saw you.

1954 E. Taylor Hester Lilly 35 You're a damn witty girl, I know that. When I first met you I thought you were a bit of a nincompoop.

1976 T. Hooper Guide to Bees & Honey ii. 37 It is quite startling when you first see the apiary a-buzz with thousands of bees circling around.

2011 Art Q. Autumn 44/1 When I first started doing the work it was so un-painterly that people hated it.

a. Before some other specified or implied thing, time, event, etc.it will be long first: see long adv.¹ 5b.

ΚΠ

c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 544 Mid spere ischal furst ride..Ar ihc þe ginne to woȝe.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 1625 Bot firist a tre, ar i bigine, I sal here sett of noe kinne.

1444 in J. Raine Testamenta Eboracensia (1855) II. 105 The residewe of all my gudes, my dettes firste paide, I putt to ye disposicion of ye sayde Hugh.

1567 R. Sempill Deeclaratioun Lordis Iust Quarrell (single sheet) Conarus was inclosit First being dewlie for his fault deposit.

1597 J. Payne Royall Exchange 38 Although it be long fyrst..yet..they come.

1611 Bible (King James) 2 Sam. xiii. 13 Thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal Sauls daughter.

1619 E. M. Bolton tr. Florus Rom. Hist. (1636) 251 They wasted the puissance of Sertorius in battell, though it was long first.

1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 7 Ask'd..when those of Holstein would be receiv'd; he told him..it would be three weeks first.

1748 S. Richardson Clarissa VII. xl. 164 Mr. Pocock undertakes to deliver This; but fears it will be Saturday night first.

1767 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield (new ed.) II. ix. 147 I wounded one who first assaulted me.

1856 C. Dickens Little Dorrit (1857) i. v. 39 She had this bit of work to begin first..that bit of work to finish first.

1884 A. R. Pennington Wiclif ix. 297 It is impossible for the priest to remit the sins of any unless they are first remitted by Christ.

1908 P. N. Hasluck Cassell's House Decoration 171/2 All the washing and stripping should be done first. The wallpaper must be removed, and the paint stripped.

1973 V. Nabokov Let. 13 Apr. in Sel. Lett. (1989) 514 I want to finish first a little slice of my new novel.

2009 J. Struthers Red Sky at Night 259 If you want to make a patchwork quilt.., you need to collect lots of fabric first.

b. In preference to something else; rather, sooner (than do something specified or implied, or allow it to be done).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > [adverb] > in preference to something else

ratherc1300

heldera1400

tittera1400

ererc1425

soon1457

rathest1556

would rather1557

first1580

preferablya1645

choosingly1651

preferable1683

ruther1809

1580 A. Melville in Life (1819) I. ii. 87 They shall have all the blood of my body first.

a1625 J. Fletcher Humorous Lieut. ii. iv, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Rrr/1 My noble childe thou shalt not fall in vertue, I and my power will sink first.

1691 T. Shadwell Scowrers iii. 27 Avoid 'em, no I'll hang first, good Nuncle.

1797 Anti-Jacobin 27 Nov. 15/2 I give thee Sixpence! I will see thee damn'd first.

1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci v. iii. 96 O weak, wicked tongue..would that thou hadst been Cut out and thrown to dogs first?

1869 R. Browning Ring & Bk. IV. x. 15 Die? He'll bribe a gaoler or break prison first!

1894 ‘J. S. Winter’ Red Coats 56 Then..let me tell you straight, I'll just see you shot first.

1934 G. B. Shaw Too True to be Good i. 46 The Patient... Doesnt that tempt you? The Nurse. Tempt me hell! I'll see you further first.

1953 G. Jones Shepherd's Hey 109 Favour, hell. I'll see you stuffed first!

2003 C. N. Adichie Purple Hibiscus (2004) 189 I will put my dead husband's grave up for sale..before I give our father a Catholic funeral... I will sell Ifediora's grave first!

4. In the winning or leading position in a contest or competition; as the winner.Sometimes overlapping with sense B. 1a.

ΚΠ

1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan i. xiv. 67 If a man propound a Prize to him that comes first to the end of a race, The gift is Free.

1792 J. Lemprière Bibliotheca Classica (ed. 2) at Gymnasium In running a-foot the athletes were sometimes armed, and he who came first was declared victorious.

1841 Sporting Rev. Sept. 188 At the distance Rogers set Mus going a little faster, and finished first by a length.

1879 Aberdeen Jrnl. 28 July 6/1 Mr D. Nicol, Anguston, came first in the competition with a very handsome red bull.

1950 Sun (Baltimore) 18 Mar. 12/1 The Ticonderoga..was named the scratch boat. This means she is favored to finish first in the long race.

1956 B. D. Zaharias & H. Paxton This Life I've Led x. 131 Our ‘team’..finished first with a best-ball score of 120.

1991 Wine Summer 48/2 This wine recently finished first in a blind tasting of 343 top Pomerol wines.

2011 A. Gibbons Act of Love (2012) xvi. 160 Jess was talking animatedly about the show. ‘So it went well?’ I asked. ‘Yes, we came first. That means we go to the regional finals.’

5. = first class adv. 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > public passenger transport > [adverb] > by specific class of accommodation

first class1846

second-class1863

third class1863

first1868

business class1962

1868 Mechanics' Mag. 2 Oct. 261/1 Any one who may have reasons..for making a journey by rail in the most comfortable manner possible, can do so by ‘going first’, and paying for the extra accommodation.

1871 S. Doudney Under Gray Walls xv. 109 I was seated in a second-class carriage, as befitted a humble governess who could not afford to travel ‘first’.

1889 J. K. Jerome Three Men in Boat iv. 50 They would..pay the difference and go first.

1919 D. Ashford Young Visiters ii. 23 They traveled 2nd class in the train and Ethel was longing to go first but thought perhaps least said soonest mended.

1922 M. Arlen ‘Piracy’ ii. xix. 288 Travelling ‘first’ with a ‘third’ ticket.

1967 ‘J. Munro’ Money that Money can't Buy vi. 75 They..went aboard their Trident..Loomis had insisted on travelling first.

1980 J. O'Faolain No Country for Young Men iii. 56 ‘No point travelling First’, the man at the Euston ticket office had advised.

C. n.²

1. With the and the person or thing denoted identified contextually.

a. The first person or thing of a category, series, etc.

(a) The first thing(s) or person(s) in an enumerated list or sequence. Chiefly with anaphoric reference: the first-mentioned thing(s) or person(s).When used with anaphoric reference, where only two things or persons are mentioned, the former is now usually preferred.Also occasionally with demonstrative or relative determiner.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [noun] > the aforesaid

firsta1250

premise1429

aforesaid?1500

aforegoing1592

aforenamed1604

aforementioned1663

above1691

a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Titus) (1963) 18 Bacbiteres..arn of twa maneres... Þe firste [?c1225 Cleo. arre] cumes al openliche & seis uuel bi an oðer.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) John xix. 32 Knyȝtis camen, and sothly thei braken the thiȝes of the firste, and of the tothir... Whanne thei hadden come to Jhesu..thei braken not his thiȝes.

1447 O. Bokenham Lives of Saints (Arun.) (1938) l. 31 If be ‘what’ or ‘why’ Be questyounn maad of thys tretyhs pleynly As for the fyrste, who so lyst to here, Certeyn the auctour was an austyn frere.

1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 4^v I am neither so suspitious to mistrust your good will, nor so sottishe to mislike your good counsaile, as I am therefore to thancke you for the first, so it standes mee vppon to thincke better on the latter.

1633 W. Struther True Happines 124 We shall consider in it two affections..Love and joy: The first is our inloving, the other our injoying of him.

1668 Bp. J. Wilkins Ess. Real Char. 369 (Zh) the sonorous Consonant, and (Sh) its correspondent mute... The first being vocal, the other mute.

1712 R. Blackmore Creation vii. 339 To Ill her Hate, to Good her Appetite, To shun the first, the latter to procure.

1774 T. Pennant Tour Scotl. 1772 238 They yield bear and potatoes, much of the first is used in distillation.

1834 H. McMurtrie tr. G. Cuvier Animal Kingdom (abridged ed.) 97 These latter, which we designate collectively by the term Pachydermata, admit of subdivision into families. The first is that of the Pachydermata which have a proboscis and tusks.

1852 S. S. Cox Buckeye Abroad x. 156 The theatre..is cheap in price and poor in quality. The box, to the first, is only fifteen cents.

1882 Catholic World Mar. 813 This he did by printing his pictures not from one block but from three. The first contained only the outlines and deeper shades, the next the middle tints, and the last the fainter shades.

1900 Onward 24 Feb. 64/1 Demonianism and sorcery—the first implying control of human beings by evil spirits, and the latter implying the converse.

1912 Yale Lit. Mag. Oct. 67 More and more feet brushed the road, each in a greater hurry than the last. These first were only camp followers.

1952 J. A. Steers et al. Lake's Physical Geogr. (ed. 3) i. vii. 94 The distinction between ‘alto’ and ‘cirro’ clouds lies in the fact that the first are clouds of medium height..; whereas the base of the latter lies above 20,000 feet [etc.].

1996 Jet 12 Aug. 38/2 The first was to get out of hospital. The second was to walk, and the last was to return to work.

2001 R. Muni Yoga (ed. 2) vi. 64/2 The first is most subtle, the next is subtle, and the last is gross.

(b) With identifying relative or infinitive clause and singular or plural reference: the person or thing prior to all others in action, experience, occurrence, existence, etc. Also occasionally with anaphoric reference.With infinitive clause, sometimes used hyperbolically to imply readiness to do something rather than strict priority.

ΚΠ

c1330 Body & Soul (Auch.) (1889) 34 (MED) Y nam þe first, no worþ þe last, Þat haþ ydronken of þat nap.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. l. 7364 I schal miselven be the ferste To grieven hem.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 1469 Enoch..was þe first þat letters fand.

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 23 Sir Gryfflet was the firste that sette oute.

1517 R. Fox tr. Rule Seynt Benet lxxii. sig. G.vii They must shewe obedience as euery of them wolde be the furste to do obedience and in maner stryue amonges them selfe who shalbe most obedient.

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xlvi. f. lxxii/1 Wherfore to saue them I wyll be the first to putte my lyfe in ieopardy.

c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 67^v The furst þat was founden of þes fals goddes.

1556 J. Ponet Apol. (new ed.) iv. 55 All these were before Iouinian, & heritiques, and at Rome, & preached or taught ther. Ergo Iouinian was not the furst.

1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer ii. sig. M.i^v A noble Stageplaier..that..would alwaies be the first to come furth to playe his parte.

1568 E. Tilney Brief Disc. Mariage sig. Avij I will not be the first, that shall disobey.

1594 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 ii. ii. 62 Be we the first to honor him with birthright to the Crown.

1619 E. M. Bolton tr. Florus Rom. Hist. 197 The first who threw the yoake off, were the Macedonians.

1638 J. Hainhofer tr. Secretary of Ladies xi. 84 Since you have beene the first to breake it, twas fit you should be to restablish it.

1684 J. Evelyn Diary (1955) IV. 389 I went to see the Rhinocerous (or Unicorne) being the first that I suppose was ever brought into England.

1710 Ld. Shaftesbury Soliloquy 4 Who will willingly be the first to try our Hand.

1743 H. Fielding Jonathan Wild iv. iv, in Misc. III. 318 Why no great matter.—The gentleman is not the first, nor won't be the last.

1747 W. Gould Acct. Eng. Ants 52 The Female Aurelia's are generally the first which transform, and are those that make their Appearance in the Shape of large Flies.

1798 S. T. Coleridge Anc. Marinere ii, in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 12 We were the first that ever burst Into that silent Sea.

1857 H. T. Buckle Hist. Civilisation Eng. I. xii. 658 [Voltaire] was the first who popularized in France the philosophy of Newton.

1886 Pop. Sci. Monthly Nov. 121/2 The idea it suggests is one which the writer would be the first to repudiate.

1893 M. G. Easton Illustr. Bible Dict. 677/1 Tyrian merchants were the first who ventured to navigate the Mediterranean waters.

1908 J. R. Hodgdon First Course Amer. Hist. II. xvii. 211 The English engines were found so satisfactory that the United States began to make her own. The first were built in New York state.

1958 J. Thurber Let. 30 Dec. (2002) 701 Likely to be among the first to reach the moon.

1989 N.Y. Woman Nov. 51/2 Michelman, 47, is the first to admit that she's a workaholic.

2000 R. Barger et al. Hell's Angel vii. 133 He was the first who approached us to make a legit movie.

(c) With a relative clause containing hear, know, see, be told, etc. The beginning of a person's awareness of, knowledge about, or contact with someone or something.

ΚΠ

1697 J. Vanbrugh Relapse ii. i. 34 Wor... But, pray Madam, how long has this noble Lord been an humble Servant of yours? Aman. This is the first I have heard on't.

a1777 S. Foote Trip to Calais (1778) i. 24 It is the first I ever heard of a tailor's goose hissing!

1793 J. O'Keeffe World in Village iii. ii. 40 Mrs. A. (confused and embarrassed) Mr. Willows, I—cou'd—have—wish'd—Sir, that you had told us. Will. The first I knew of it myself.

1862 M. Sewell Patience Hart's First Experience in Service xii. 88 This was the first we had heard of her mother living in Islington.

1869 Rep. Case Steamship Meteor I. 191 I met these parties there, and was introduced to them. Q. Was that the first you knew of them? A. Yes, sir, that was the first I knew of McNichols and Conkling.

1870 Fraser & Bingham against Freeman (N.Y. Court of Appeals) 111 That was the first I had seen of the pistol—the first I had ever seen of it, or knew that he had it.

1945 Billboard 5 May 29/2 The first he knew about Kaye's commitments was when he was told about them a few weeks ago.

1984 J. Kelman Busconductor Hines i. 40 Well it's the first I've heard.

2005 J. M. Coetzee Slow Man xxv. 201 Hadn't she given notice? No, I said, this was the first I heard of it.

b. The person or thing of highest status, rank, importance, or excellence. Also with plural reference.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > one who is important > one who has leading position or is most important

firstc1275

coba1420

principalsa1425

cock1542

chief1569

colossus1605

primore1625

cape1650

sachem1684

leading light1707

high priest1737

king bee1792

gentleman, man of lead1793

queen bee1823

primo basso1826

spokesman1828

protagonist1837

kingpin1861

key man1895

headliner1896

big boy1921

numero uno1944

godfather1963

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > that which is important > most important

moreOE

firstc1275

principala1393

chiefa1400

main chance1577

forefront1589

principal verb1602

centre of gravity1718

avatar1859

main stem1900

Big Apple1909

prima ballerina1923

centrepiece1937

c1275 Kentish Serm. in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 221 So sulle þo uerste bie last and þo laste ferst.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mark ix. 34 If any man wole be the first among ȝou.

?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 159 Thow xalte be þe fyrst of hyȝ degre.

1565 J. Jewel Replie Hardinges Answeare iv. 241 This priuilege graunted vnto the Bishop of Rome, to be the firste of al Priestes, was not, to beare the whole swaye, and to ouer rule al the worlde.

1681 J. Dryden Spanish Fryar iv. ii. 54 Self-preservation is the first of Laws.

1688 W. Wake tr. Sure Means for Conversion All Hereticks 47 They say, that the Pope is Primus inter Pares, and that so he is the first of all Bishops.

1839 tr. A. de Lamartine Trav. in East 82/1 He is the first of sentimental poets!—the king of lyrics!

1883 American 7 121 Only Dr. Th. Kolde contests with Dr. Köstlin the distinction of being the first of living Lutherists.

1963 T. Ware Orthodox Church ii. 35 The Orthodox Church acknowledges Peter as the first among the Apostles.

1993 U.S. News & World Rep. 29 Mar. 16 History is likely to remember Hayes as the first among the theater's first ladies.

c. The first part or beginning of something (esp. a period of time or season (now U.S.) or a movement of the tide).In quot. a1382, without of-phrase, as a literalism of translation.The use shown by quots. 1844 and 1893 refers to the first part of the year, rather than its first day (cf. sense C. 1d).

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > beginning > [noun] > the first part or beginning

beginning1297

primec1300

firstc1330

primity1546

prime tide1549

springtime1579

morning1595

vaward1599

noviceship1610

fore-enda1616

vernalitya1639

c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 8257 Þe squiers were armed and on hem dast And in þe first of þat seylinge Þai slowen michel heþen genge.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. i. 1 In þe first [L. In principio] made god of nouȝt: heuen & erþ.

?1495 R. Fitzjames Sermo die Lune in Ebdomada Pasche (de Worde) sig. c iv^v How from the fyrste of the creacyon of man oure moost mercyfull lorde..euer more & more nyghed vnto mankynde.

a1500 in R. H. Robbins Secular Lyrics 14th & 15th Cent. (1952) 66 (MED) The fyrste of wynter harde se shall ye..But þe latter ende of wynter ys gude.

a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xxvii. sig. Ff4^v But now perceiuing the flood of their furie began to ebbe, he thought it policie to take the first of the tide.

1670 J. Narborough in Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) 44 At the first of the Flood we caught five hundred Fishes.

1761 Brit. Mag. 2 446 The six prames..dropt down upon the first of the ebb.

1784 Unfortunate Sensibility II. 67 It was boiling from the first of the morning, till they wanted their dinners.

1798 Invasion II. 14 I had..from the first of his entrance, kept retreating to the other side of the room.

1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. II. 986 When the calf is suffered to suck the mother, it should have the first of the milk.

1840 F. Marryat Poor Jack xxii. 155 We shall be able to stem the first of the flood.

1844 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 1841–3 2 247 Bi-hourly observations..had ceased with the first of the present year.

1893 Kappa Alpha Jrnl. July 434 Mr. Young is a rising Sophomore and was asked to join us the first of the year.

1906 U. Sinclair Jungle iv. 54 The next day Marija..was told to report the first of the week, and learn the business of can-painter.

1940 W. Faulkner Go Down, Moses (1960) 40 In the first of light he mounted the white man's front steps.

1967 P. S. Catling Experiment xx. 134 We ought to have the automanipulation tests under way by the first of the week.

1986 P. Matthiessen Men's Lives (1988) iii. xii. 180 Setting their trawls..on the last of the ebb and lifting them..on the first of the flood.

1995 G. Burn Fullalove (2004) ii. 63 Here we are once more..getting in the first of the day.

d. In dates: the first day of a month.

(a) With of (the month). Also followed by inst. (see inst. adj.: now rare).In quot. c1400, (probably) referring to the first day of the first month of the year.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > period > year > [noun] > specific days of the year

Candlemas1014

May Day1267

All Souls' Dayc1300

midsummer evena1400

firstc1400

Beltane1424

midsummer eve1426

quarter day1435

Beltane1456

mid-Sundaya1475

madding-day1568

Lord Mayor's day1591

Barnaby bright1595

Lammas-eve1597

All Saints' Night1607

Handsel Monday1635

distaff's day1648

long Barnabya1657

St. Valentine's eve1671

leet-day1690

All Fools' Day1702

Boxing Day1743

April Fool's Day1748

Royal Oak Day1759

box day1765

Oak-apple Day1802

All Souls' Eve1805

mischief night1830

Shick-shack Day1847

chalk-back day1851

call night1864

Nut-Monday1867

Arbor Day1872

April Fool's1873

Labour Day1884

Martinmas Sunday1885

call day1886

Samhain1888

Juneteenth1890

Mother's Day1890

Father's Day1908

Thinking Day1927

Punkie night1931

Tweede Nuwejaar1947

the world > time > period > a month or calendar month > [noun] > specific day of a month

nonesOE

firstc1400

month's day1449

last1528

penultimate1529

third1530

penult1537

penultim1538

month day1546

tenth1580

ninth1589

c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1072 (MED) On þe fyrst of þe ȝere.

1528 T. Paynell tr. Arnaldus de Villa Nova in Joannes de Mediolano Regimen Sanitatis Salerni sig. d.ij In them are dayes forbidden to let bloud, that is the fyrste of Maye, and laste of september and aprile.

1542 E. Harvel in State Papers Henry VIII (1849) VIII. 706 I wrote to the same the first of thinstant; and senith her is arivid..the Turkes Ambassadour.

1594 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 ii. iv. 72 I summon your Grace, vnto his highnesse Parliament holden at saint Edmunds-Bury, the first of the next month.

1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing i. i. 182 Theres her cosin..exceedes her as much in beautie, as the first of Maie dooth the last of December.

1665 F. P. Verney & M. M. Verney Mem. Verney Family 17th Cent. (1907) II. 243 The first inst. we arrived att the nasty Spaw, and have now began to drinke the horid sulfer watter.

1673 S'too him Bayes 20 Do'st thou take this to be the first of April?

1765 Earl of Coventry in J. H. Jesse G. Selwyn & his Contemp. (1843) I. 402 The letter I had from Lord March..offering to take my waiting the first of next month, in exchange of his own, which is not till the 29th.

1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. v. 525 He encamped on the 1st of June within three miles of the place.

1881 Cent. Mag. Dec. 296/1 I presume I shall continue to act as P.M.G. as I have been doing since the first inst.

1892 Garden & Forest 2 Mar. 100/2 On the very first of February, which was a genial day, we found..tiny unopened pistillate flowers on our Japanese Alder.

1918 E. Hemingway Let. 2 Jan. (2011) I. 72 Only 4 more months till the first of May. Yippi Yeah!

1998 New Yorker 12 Sept. 67/1 I need to have the winter hats in the store by the first of September.

(b) Preceded by the name of the month.

ΚΠ

1599 R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) II. 166 The first of February we put into a Port in Mallorca. [margin] February the first. Mallorca.

a1649 W. Drummond Skiamachia in Wks. (1711) 194 We hope your Lordships will give us Leave..to remember your Lordships of your Deliverance, June the First, 1642.

1700 List Adventurers (single sheet) The Mine Adventure, May the First, 1700.

1775 G. Harrison Agric. Delineated 170 July the first, harrowed it. On the sixteenth, ribbled it close across.

1811 G. Hardinge Let. 15 Aug. in Athenæum (1850) 30 Mar. 338/1 In the afternoon of October the first, and at half-past five.

1864 Dental Q. Dec. 89 The Dental Colleges have been open for the season, since November the first.

1949 D. Thomas Let. 24 Nov. (1987) 733 I see that you are wanting the story by March the first. And March the first it will certainly be.

1997 ‘S. Shem’ Mount Misery iii. 68 August the first, go to Vineyard. Labor Day, come back.

(c) Without modifier. spec.: (in the language of sportspeople) the first day of a particular month, when the season (for shooting, fishing, etc.) begins.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > period > a day or twenty-four hours > [noun] > day on which something is scheduled to begin

opening day1798

magazine-day1821

first1868

zero day1917

1868 Broadway Sept. 23/1 Just in time to dress for the seven o'clock dinner, the evening preceding ‘the first’, dedicated for years and years to the immolation of the partridge!

1871 Country Gentleman's Mag. Oct. 218/2 The man who cannot hit seven partridges out of ten that he fires at on the First, is not likely to profit much by our writing.

1881 H. E. Goldschmidt tr. F. Spielhagen Quisisana xxvii. 311 The first of May! Why, to-morrow is the first. It is too late for a letter.

1896 Times 31 Mar. 9/6 Many of the professional punt-fishermen have already been engaged for ‘The First’.

1987 Alcalde (Univ. Texas) Mar.–Apr. 15/1 ‘It's March the second?’..‘Yes. Yesterday was the first.’

1995 S. E. Grace in M. Lowry Sursum Corda! I. 648 The Mexican Day of the Dead is celebrated on 2 November, but there are candle-light vigils that begin on the first.

e. Heraldry. The tincture which is first mentioned in a blazon.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > heraldic tincture > [noun] > first or second

first1562

second1572

1562 G. Legh Accedens of Armory f. 49 I sayde, voyded of the first, because Argent was the first that was named.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory i. vii. 95 He beareth Argent, three Bends Gules; on a Chief of the first.

1705 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. 8 Dec. Sable, A Cross argent, charg'd with another of the first.

1828 W. Berry Encycl. Her. II. Filshed quarterly or. and az.; on the second and third quarters, an eagle, displayed, of the first.

1862 W. M. Thackeray Adventures of Philip III. iv. 129 These, you know, are argent, a dexter sinople on a fesse wavy of the first.

1901 ‘J. Waring’ tr. H. de Balzac Scenes Courtesan's Life II. 387 Clément Chardin des Lupeaulx, whose father was ennobled by Louis XV.,..bore quarterly; of the first, argent, a wolf sable, ravissant, carrying a lamb, gules.

1937 Canad. Hist. Rev. 18 253 Argent a maple leaf vert, on a chief (azure) sustained gules an automobile wheel winged within a border of the first.

1999 Times 23 June 17/3 Heraldry is conducted in a strange language..with wonderful descriptions like: ‘Per fess or and azure, a galley of the first, masts, oars and tackling proper [etc.].’

†f. Printing. The senior of a pair of pressmen working together. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 319 The one they distinguish by the name of First, the other his Second, these call one another Companions: The First is he that has wrought longest at that Press.

1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. First, the senior or leading partner of the two men who work at a hand-press.

2. As a count noun.

a. Something that is first.

ΚΠ

1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. vi. 80 There are two Firsts; the one is Gods word, & the other is God.

1674 R. Baxter Full & Easie Satisfaction i. iv. 25 And so we run not in a circle, and need not a supernatural faith, for the founding of our first supernatural faith; that is, A first before the first.

1713 J. Edwards Theologia Reformata II. 305 It would be absurd and ridiculous to say there is more than one First.

1842 B. F. Barrett Course Lect. Doctr. New Jerusalem Church viii. 282 There evidently cannot be two Firsts and Lasts in the sense in which these words are here used.

1892 Daily News 1 Dec. 2/3 The 1st June and December are the two quietest ‘firsts’ in the year.

1967 R. J. A. White Short Hist. Eng. vi. 112 These ‘firsts’ and ‘lasts’, belong to the adjectival heritage of outworn text-books, but they are not always unprofitable.

2007 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 24 Apr. a6/1 The baby book conjured up..guilt... Its pages contain more blank lines than carefully written dates of ‘firsts’.

b. In plural. Goods of the best quality.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun] > high quality goods

first1700

superfines1721

1700 T. Tryon Lett. xxxiv. 208 The Makers and Clayers of this Sugar call it Firsts, Seconds, Thirds and Fourths, for so many degrees of Goodness and Whiteness it is divided into, and each is sold apart.

1776 L. Carter Diary 26 July (1965) II. 1064 It seems by mixing firsts and seconds [sc. of wheat] together his bread was not white.

1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 535 The finest marls, called firsts, are selected for the arches of doorways, &c.

1832 G. R. Porter Treat. Manuf. Porcelain & Glass (Lardner) 186 Crown glass is sold, according to its quality, under four different denominations—firsts, seconds, thirds, and fourths.

1887 Times 27 Aug. Butter:—Firsts, 119s.; seconds, 113s.

1903 Daily Chron. 21 Apr. 2/6 Cork butter.—Firsts, 86s.; seconds, 80s.; thirds, 78s.

1949 Billboard 26 Nov. 124/2 (advt.) Children's and infants [sic] socks, mixture of firsts and seconds, $1 dozen.

2007 Sunday Mail (S. Austral.) (Nexis) 25 Nov. h13 Q. What is Run of Kiln? A. This is when the manufacturer doesn't grade the tile at all. The seconds are mixed with the firsts.

†c. Music. The upper melodic part in a composition. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > harmony or sounds in combination > [noun] > part in harmony or counterpoint > upper parts

treblec1330

quiniblec1390

quatreblea1450

triple1600

triplum1626

superius1653

firsta1774

quintus1883

a1774 O. Goldsmith Surv. Exper. Philos. (1776) II. 159 The performers on glasses..who play firsts, seconds, and sometimes a base altogether.

1823 G. Crabb Universal Technol. Dict. First (Mus.), the upper part of a duett, trio [etc.].

d. British. A place in the top grade in an examination, especially that for a degree. Also: a person who has received the top grade in an examination for a degree.

ΘΚΠ

society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > marks > specific marks

accessit1753

honour1774

credit1802

second class1810

firsta1830

first class1830

third class1844

Hons.1850

max1851

second1852

special mention1886

distinction?1890

A1892

E1892

pass mark1894

two-two1895

alpha1898

alpha plus1898

gamma1898

beta1902

delta1911

alpha minus1914

fourth1914

straight A1926

two-one1937

lower second1960

honourable mention2011

society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > candidates > who passes > passing at university

firsta1830

poll1831

poll-man1834

honour man1839

passman1853

honours man1859

pass-woman1896

a1830 H. E. Manning Let. in E. S. Purcell Life Cardinal Manning (1895) I. iv. 55 I will try and take a First in this, if not in litteris humanioribus.

1840 A. H. Clough Diary 21 Nov. (1990) V. 148 Heard part of Congreve's viva voce... Congreve has got his first.

1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. I. iv. 64 He'll be a safe first, though I don't believe he reads more than you or I.

1885 M. Pattison Mem. 26 The men who got firsts would have done so equally at any college.

1925 W. Deeping Sorrell & Son xxiv. 229 I want a first in the Science Trip.

1943 P. Larkin Let. 18 July in Sel. Lett. (1992) 60 I simply must dance my little dance and tell you that I have got a FIRST in my Schools!!

1977 M. Frayn Donkeys' Years i, in Plays: One (1985) 103 You should have read History. You might have got a first.

2012 Independent 14 Jan. (Mag.) 46/4 He could have got a First, but the trouble with him was that he never allowed time for reflection.

e. Music. In plural. The section of an orchestra or choir performing the highest or chief of two or more parts for the same instrument or voice. Cf. A. 1b.

ΚΠ

1836 Musical World 23 Dec. 4 In difficult passages, the seconds take portions of the passage with the firsts, which renders the execution easier and more effective than if it were given to the firsts only.

1856 M. C. Clarke tr. H. Berlioz Treat. Mod. Instrumentation 178/2 The division of the basses into firsts and seconds (to avoid the high notes) is less necessary in rude and fierce accents.

1901 Musical Herald 1 Dec. 380/1 If you intend having only mandolines you should divide them so that about six play ‘seconds’ while the remainder are ‘firsts’—playing the melody.

1929 Musical Times Aug. 728/1 Questions of balance must be left until the choir has got under way: you can see where adjustment is necessary—e.g., by transferring a second bass to the firsts.

2013 C. Seaman Inside Conducting v. xxvii. 139 The idea that the second violins don't need to be as good as the firsts is a myth.

f. The first place in a contest.

ΚΠ

1838 Floricultural Cabinet May 98 I won three firsts and two thirds, and a Roi de Siam, which was unquestionably the finest bloom I staged, was stolen, during dinner, before it was judged.

1885 Cyclist 19 Aug. 1089/1 He..won four firsts and a second last week.

1897 Whitaker's Almanack 649/2 The Hester..was more successful in handicap matches, winning 5 firsts and 4 seconds.

1931 Lima (Ohio) News 11 May 11/6 Betteridge was high jump pointman, with 13 for firsts in the 220-yard run and broad jump and second in the 100.

1973 Country Life 15 Feb. 385/1 Miss S. G. Weall's fawn dog..collected two firsts and his litter sister..two seconds.

1998 Carriage Driving Aug. 19/2 Peter Clarke took first place, thereby breaking his ‘duck’—in 10 years he has never won a first at the BDS Show.

g. A first edition.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > book > edition > [noun] > first edition

first edition1542

editio princeps1775

princeps1814

first1862

society > communication > printing > publishing > a publication > [noun] > issue or edition > first

first1862

1862 G. Offor in J. Bunyan Whole Wks. I. p. iv The reader was perplexed among the mazes of firsts, seconds, and thirds.

1922 M. Sadleir Excurs. in Victorian Bibliogr. 6 I have contrived..to keep myself fairly supplied with ‘reading firsts’.

1924 G. M&c.Leish's Catal. 13 Essential to the collection of ‘modern firsts’.

1960 J. Betjeman Summoned by Bells vi. 58 Perhaps one day I'll find a ‘first’ of Keats.

1994 Bk. & Mag. Collector June 5/2 (caption) The Dashiell Hammett Omnibus..contains all five novels plus short stories, and makes an excellent alternative to the very expensive firsts.

2006 A. McCall Smith Right Attitude to Rain v. 55 Her collection of Andrew Lang was virtually complete, as was that of Graham Greene firsts.

h. Baseball. First base.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > baseball > baseball ground > [noun] > base

base1848

first base1848

second base1848

third base1848

second1861

first1864

bag1873

sack1914

1864 Brooklyn Daily Eagle 20 Sept. 2/6 A player in the habit of throwing from 3rd to 1st cannot measure his throwing well in any other position unless he practices for it.

1867 Advocate 24 May 89/1 Alline gets to first, and is brought home by an overthrow from Parker.

1894 N.Y. Tribune 17 June 16/6 One man was ‘coppered at first’ and another was ‘cinched at the plate’.

1900 G. Patten Rockspur Nine xxxiii. 282 In the eighth, Dennis Murphy led off for Rockspur, getting first on balls, and stealing second.

1935 J. T. Farrell Judgment Day viii. 185 A dumpy texas-leaguer over third base placed runners on first and second.

1980 R. Mayer 1937 Newark Bears vii. 86 With no outs and runners on first and third, McQuinn bounced a ball to the first baseman.

2004 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 17 Oct. viii. 10/4 Sometimes there's a pretty good base runner on first, and we might put a slide step on, and the pitcher throws a pitch that the hitter hits.

i. A first-class railway carriage or compartment.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > railway wagon or carriage > carriage designed to carry passengers > other types of passenger carriage

caravan1821

private car1826

Jim Crow car1835

ladies' car1841

saloon car or carriage1842

palace car1844

ladies' carriage1847

parliamentary carriage1849

parlour car1859

composite carriage1868

Pullman1869

observation car1872

first1873

compo1878

bogie carriage1880

chair-car1880

club car1893

corridor carriage1893

tourist-car1895

birdcage1900

dog box1905

corridor coach1911

vista-dome1945

Stolypin1970

1873 Pop. Sci. Monthly June 188 You do not allow me to plead irresponsibility if I give the company bad money, or if, having bought a ticket for the second class, I travel in the first.

1885 Graphic 21 Feb. 174/2 In the railway train, we sit either in exclusive ‘swelldom’ in the first, or herd with ‘the vulgar’ in the third class.

1925 B. Travers Mischief iv The train arrived and Eleanor..was easily spotted, being alone in the firsts.

1971 ‘L. Black’ Death has Green Fingers ix. 100 I'm in a first, next carriage along the train.

1991 Model Railways Mar. 129/2 The Firsts were to be upholstered in blue cloth, the Seconds in ‘Kalemet’ whilst the Thirds were to be painted wood.

j. In plural (frequently with the). The best or main team of a sports club; the first team. Cf. sense A. 1d.

ΚΠ

1899 N.Y. Times 20 May 9/5 The competing teams were the firsts of the Meadow Brook Club and the Westchester Polo Club of Newport.

1903 P. Trevor Rugby Union Football ix. 80 Men boldly labelled themselves as members of the first or second fifteen. It was with the ‘firsts’ that Sandhurst and Woolwich were concerned.

1954 Irish Times 7 Dec. 2/7 The club can now field three full teams... Last weekend..their ‘firsts’ brought off their biggest success.

1996 Times 26 Oct. (1015 section) 7/1 With the Bristol University Firsts now a happy, back-slappy memory he is a salaried professional rugby player.

2013 L. Jobson Ride Tortoise 57 At half-time he tells me the first team goalie is injured. ‘Maybe I'll get to play for the firsts,’ says my boy.

k. The first or lowest gear on a motor vehicle or bicycle.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > gear > specific gear

bottom gear?1865

high gear1889

low gear1895

fourth1900

second gear1902

first gear1907

second1907

first1909

second speed1912

high1914

low1914

1909 J. S. V. Bickford Faults & how to find Them §1173 If, however, the change from first to second (not through the gate we are assuming) has to be done quickly, [etc.].

1935 G. Heyer Death in Stocks iv. 40 Antonia slammed the gear-lever into first and started with a jerk.

1968 P. Dickinson Weathermonger vi. 66 He wrenched the gear into first and banged through, misjudging it slightly.

2005 L. Dean This Human Season (2006) xxxi. 199 She..shoved the gear stick into first and they careened down the hill.

l. Originally U.S. The first known or discovered example or specimen of a thing; (now esp.) a first occurrence of something notable (frequently with for).

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [noun] > first one > of its kind

firstling1530

firsting1607

first1931

1931 F. Buck & E. Anthony Bring 'em back Alive 215 There is no bigger thrill in the game than bringing back rare ‘firsts’ [i.e. an animal that has not been seen alive before in the country to which it is brought].

1949 Billboard 25 June 17/2 The auction idea..is a first for a record store, it's believed.

1955 Times 20 June 8/7 Another important French ‘first’ was the arrival of the Caravelle, the country's first jet airliner.

1963 J. F. Straker Final Witness iv. 48 ‘I'm sorry about that, Paul.’ That made another first: they had not used Christian names before.

1970 Guardian 27 Feb. 8/5 Those were days of high adventure: every programme was a first..breaking new ground.

2006 Bird Watching Aug. 99 Two firsts for the Channel Islands (Short-toed Eagle and Franklin's Gull) were recorded in a three-day purple patch mid-month.

Phrases

P1. In senses of the noun (chiefly forming adverbial phrases).

†a. with the first: as one of the first, very early, chiefly, especially. Cf. mid the first at mid prep.¹ 7e. Obsolete. [Compare classical Latin cum prīmīs.]

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > pre-eminence > [adverb]

highlyOE

overalla1225

with the firstc1300

principally1340

principalc1390

in principala1393

chiefly14..

ratherestc1400

rathestc1400

primarily1587

kat' exochen1588

paravant1590

pre-eminently1590

primely1610

cardinally1631

transeminently1642

paramountly1798

par eminence1823

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or extraordinary > especially or particularly [phrase] > especially or chiefly

with the firstc1300

c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 1119 Quen so hende..Þu ȝef vs wiþ [Laud Myd] þe furste, Þe beggeres beoþ ofþurste.

a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iv. l. 63 This þing a-noon was kouth in euery strete..And with þe firste it cam to Calkas ere.

1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry f. 21^v Who peskods delighteth, to haue with the furst, if now he do sowe them, I think it not wurst.

1611 J. Ussher Let. 4 Oct. in R. Parr Life J. Usher (1686) Coll. vii. 15 Of which we will not fail to certifie you with the first.

1621 T. Bedford Sinne unto Death 34 This is apprimè necessarium, necessary with the first.

1660 F. Brooke tr. V. Le Blanc World Surveyed 270 The servant..coming in with the first.

1748 S. Richardson Clarissa VI. lxxxiv. 308 Pray, when he does come, let me hear of it with the first.

b. at first (also at the first (now rare)).

†(a) At once, immediately. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > immediacy > [adverb]

soonc825

ratheeOE

rathelyeOE

rekeneOE

rekenlyOE

thereright971

anonOE

forth ona1000

coflyc1000

ferlyc1000

radlyOE

swiftlyc1000

unyoreOE

yareOE

at the forme (also first) wordOE

nowOE

shortlya1050

rightOE

here-rightlOE

right anonlOE

anonc1175

forthrightc1175

forthwithalc1175

skeetc1175

swithc1175

with and withc1175

anon-rightc1225

anon-rights?c1225

belivec1225

lightly?c1225

quickly?c1225

tidelyc1225

fastlyc1275

hastilyc1275

i-radlichec1275

as soon asc1290

aright1297

bedenea1300

in little wevea1300

withoute(n dwella1300

alrightc1300

as fast (as)c1300

at firstc1300

in placec1300

in the placec1300

mididonec1300

outrightc1300

prestc1300

streck13..

titec1300

without delayc1300

that stounds1303

rada1325

readya1325

apacec1325

albedenec1330

as (also also) titec1330

as blivec1330

as line rightc1330

as straight as linec1330

in anec1330

in presentc1330

newlyc1330

suddenlyc1330

titelyc1330

yernec1330

as soon1340

prestly1340

streckly1340

swithly?1370

evenlya1375

redelya1375

redlya1375

rifelya1375

yeplya1375

at one blastc1380

fresha1382

ripelyc1384

presentc1385

presently1385

without arrestc1385

readilyc1390

in the twinkling of a looka1393

derflya1400

forwhya1400

skeetlya1400

straighta1400

swifta1400

maintenantc1400

out of handc1400

wightc1400

at a startc1405

immediately1420

incontinent1425

there and then1428

onenec1429

forwithc1430

downright?a1439

agatec1440

at a tricec1440

right forth1440

withouten wonec1440

whipc1460

forthwith1461

undelayed1470

incessantly1472

at a momentc1475

right nowc1475

synec1475

incontinently1484

promptly1490

in the nonce?a1500

uncontinent1506

on (upon, in) the instant1509

in short1513

at a clap1519

by and by1526

straightway1526

at a twitch1528

at the first chop1528

maintenantly1528

on a tricea1529

with a tricec1530

at once1531

belively1532

straightwaysa1533

short days1533

undelayedly1534

fro hand1535

indelayedly1535

straight forth1536

betimesc1540

livelyc1540

upononc1540

suddenly1544

at one (or a) dash?1550

at (the) first dash?1550

instantly1552

forth of hand1564

upon the nines1568

on the nail1569

at (also in, with) a thoughtc1572

indilately1572

summarily1578

at one (a) chop1581

amain1587

straightwise1588

extempore1593

presto1598

upon the place1600

directly1604

instant1604

just now1606

with a siserary1607

promiscuously1609

at (in) one (an) instant1611

on (also upon) the momenta1616

at (formerly also on or upon) sight1617

hand to fist1634

fastisha1650

nextly1657

to rights1663

straightaway1663

slap1672

at first bolt1676

point-blank1679

in point1680

offhand1686

instanter1688

sonica1688

flush1701

like a thought1720

in a crack1725

momentary1725

bumbye1727

clacka1734

plumba1734

right away1734

momentarily1739

momentaneously1753

in a snap1768

right off1771

straight an end1778

abruptedly1784

in a whistle1784

slap-bang1785

bang?1795

right off the reel1798

in a whiff1800

in a flash1801

like a shot1809

momently1812

in a brace or couple of shakes1816

in a gird1825

(all) in a rush1829

in (also at, on) short (also quick) order1830

straightly1830

toot sweetc1830

in two twos1838

rectly1843

quick-stick1844

short metre1848

right1849

at the drop of a (occasionally the) hat1854

off the hooks1860

quicksticks1860

straight off1873

bang off1886

away1887

in quick sticks (also in a quick stick)1890

ek dum1895

tout de suite1895

bung1899

one time1899

prompt1910

yesterday1911

in two ups1934

presto changeo1946

now-now1966

presto change1987

the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > beginning > at the beginning [phrase]

at firstc1300

at (also in) the first bruntc1450

at the first chop1528

at hand1558

at the first jump1577

at starting1674

c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 1191 Rymenhild sede at þe furste [Laud ate ferste, a1350 Harl. at þe firste] ‘Herte, nu þu berste.’

c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. vii. l. 159 And hoped aftur hunger þo þat herde him atte furste.

1567 G. Turberville tr. Ovid Heroycall Epist. 148 I knewe thy friendly fist at first.

a1626 L. Andrewes 7 Serm. (1627) iv. 65 He bids them..but whistle for an Angell, and they will come at first.

1643 W. Prynne Soveraigne Power Parl. iii. 132 How little coherence there is in this Argument, the silliest childe may at first discern.

1662 tr. Ovid Remedy of Love in tr. Ovid De Arte Amandi sig. D6^v But come at first, for if you make delay,Your sickness will grow mortal by your stay.

a1680 S. Charnock Several Disc. Existence of God (1682) 737 Some rise out of their..Beds..at the first,..others lie snorting longer.

†(b) In the first place. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 46 Of þise zenne uondeþ þe dyeuel in vif maneres..Auerst ine fole ziȝþe, efterward ine fole wordes, [etc.].

a1425 (?c1384) J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 359 We graunten at þe firste, þat [etc.].

a1500 (?a1425) tr. Secreta Secret. (Lamb.) 103 Fyuetene Vertuez off a good Conseiller. At þe firste, þat he haue perfeccion of his membrys.

†(c) First, for the first time. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 3241 Þan at þe furste þe Assaut by-gan sterk & strait to be.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 1558 [An]d now at first wakkenes woghe.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 12605 Wid þe grete maistris þus he badd Till mari had hir iornai made, þan at þe frist on him toght scho.

a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) i. l. 429 The rane-bow..Þan at þe first wes sene wiþ e [a1530 Royal ey].

1682 T. Creech tr. Lucretius De natura rerum ii. 52 In Phrygia Corn at first took birth.

1704 E. Ward Revels of Gods 9 And where a drop lights, there arises a Vine; Thus Mortals below came at first by their Wine.

1776 T. Paine Common Sense 24 I should be glad to ask how they suppose kings came at first..? If the first king was taken by lot, it establishes a precedent.

(d) At the beginning, at the first stage. Also at the very first.

ΚΠ

c1390 (?c1350) Joseph of Arimathie (1871) l. 553 (MED) Þei were weri offouȝten and feor ouer-charged, Of þe peple afurst and þe pres after.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) Prol. l. 522 What man wolde himself avise, His conscience and noght misuse, He may wel, ate ferste, excuse His god, which evere stant in on.

c1456 R. Pecock Bk. Faith (Trin. Cambr.) (1909) 116 These bokis at first schulen be unsavery, thouȝ aftirward thei schulen be ful delectable.

1566 J. Rastell Treat.: Beware of M. Iewel ii. vii. sig. Xv Why plaie you the hypocrite so artificially, in keping that backe, which should haue ben at the very first Answered?

1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iv. f. 185 Their broode lyeth very small at the first.

1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. B4 This fruite was at first white.

1611 Bible (King James) John xii. 16 These things vnderstood not his disciples at the first .

1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 883 Why then Didst thou at first rec[e]ive me for thy husband?

1678 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 149 I was afraid on't at the very first.

1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 455. ¶3 I am no more delighted with it than I was at the very first.

1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 23/1 He was at first very ill, then got better.

1814 M. Edgeworth Patronage I. xiii. 356 He was very free of his money, and generous to Kate at the first.

1845 M. Pattison in Christian Remembrancer Jan. 83 The assurance he had at first displayed, was now succeeded by an air of embarrassment.

1869 C. Boutell tr. J. P. Lacombe Arms & Armour xi. 216 At the first they made petards with it.

1922 V. Woolf Jacob's Room ii. 22 At first, part of herself; now one of a company.

1967 G. Greene Root of all Evil in May we borrow your Husband 174 Puckler, who had been hit on the shoulder with a rolling-pin, did not at first run away.

1993 A. L. Kennedy Looking for Possible Dance 42 Margaret's hair was long, almost as long as it had been at the very first when she'd asked if her daddy would let her have it cut.

2012 J. Díaz in New Yorker 4 June 110/2 Because of the weak light I didn't get a good look at first.

†c. Scottish. in the first: in the first place. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1399 in Rec. Parl. Scotl. to 1707 (2007) 1399/1/3 With the consail of wyse men and lele..: in the firste the duc of Albany.

1538 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1905) VI. 413 Item in the first, bocht to his grace iij^xx vj bersis of irne.

1603 in W. Fraser Memorials Montgomeries (1859) II. 245 Item, in the frist, gifin forten quarteris of tefeni..iiij s.

(a) from first to last: from beginning to end, throughout. Also † from the first to the last (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > beginning > at the beginning [phrase] > from the beginning

from first to last1536

ab origine1537

ab ovoa1586

ab initio1600

from the word go1834

from the jump1848

from the get-go1960

from (also since) day dot1964

the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > thoroughly > from beginning to end or through and through

to the boneOE

through and throughc1225

out and outc1300

from top to tail1303

out and inc1390

(from) head to heel (also heels)c1400

(from) head to foot (also feet)c1425

from top to (into, unto) toec1425

to the skin1526

to one's (also the) finger (also fingers') ends1530

from first to last1536

up and down1542

whole out1562

to the pith1587

to the back1594

from A to (also until) Z1612

from clew to earing1627

from top to bottom1666

back and edge1673

all hollow1762

(all) to pieces1788

from A to Za1821

to one's (also the) fingertips1825

to one's fingernails1851

from tip to toe1853

down to the ground1859

to the backbone1864

right the way1867

pur sang1893

from the ground up1895

in and out1895

from soda (card) to hock1902

1536 J. Gwynneth Confut. Fyrst Parte Frythes Boke sig. f They do apertely perceyue, his hole euyl all togyther, from the fyrst, as who say, to the last.

1567 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure II. f. 245^v Forth with I will disclose from first to last the entire discourse of this pitifull tragedie.

1649 Kingdomes Weekly Intelligencer No. 296. 1240 The whole triall of the King from the first to the last.

1770 in F. Chase Hist. Dartmouth College (1891) I. 149 It can't prosper,..it's all a jockey trick from first to last.

1809 European Mag. July 11/2 England has seldom witnessed such scenes of fraud and peculation as occurred from the first to the last, in the valuation of ecclesiastical property in the periods alluded to.

1852 G. Grote Hist. Greece IX. ii. lxxii. 254 The mainstay of the Thirty from first to last.

1893 Strand Mag. 6 473/1 Mr. Gladstone was..in his place from first to last.

1954 I. Murdoch Under Net (1960) 58 From first to last, it was Hugo, not I who conducted the conversation.

2000 Oldie Dec. 60 Unfortunately there isn't a decent song from first to last, which is a bit of a drawback in a musical.

(b) from the (very) first: from the beginning, at the outset, to start with.

ΚΠ

1611 Bible (King James) Luke i. 3 Hauing had perfect vnderstanding of things from the very first .

1740 H. Bracken Farriery Improv'd (ed. 2) II. i. 18 Their Practice from the first, is ill grounded.

1741 C. Middleton Hist. Life Cicero (1742) II. vii. 266 I..who from the very first have always been the adviser of peace.

1804 W. Wilberforce Let. 29 Sept. in J. Aitken Eng. Lett. XIX Cent. (1946) 28 B.'s first letter would convey the idea of his having had in his mind from the very first the..plan.

1854 C. Dickens Hard Times iii. viii. 339 I have suspected young Mr. Tom of this bank-robbery from the first.

1885 Manch. Evening News 16 July 3/1 The disaffected section..made a dead set against him from the first.

1917 J. London Michael Brother of Jerry xi. 85 And Michael, who with a single careless paw-stroke could have broken Cocky's slender neck.., was careful of him from the first.

1946 C. Bush Case Second Chance ii. 21 From the very first she struck me as well up to her job as cook-housekeeper.

2005 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 24 Feb. 6/2 The sponsoring body..had insisted from the first that it was conducting not a competition but an Innovative Design Study.

†e. first and last: all, one and all. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > [noun] > the generality > each and every one thing

each oneOE

everya1250

still and boldc1300

all and somea1350

one and all (also all and one)a1400

all and sundry1428

all the sort of1535

every or each several?a1562

first and last1582

each and singular1668

all and singular1669

every man jack1807

1582 T. Bentley Seuenth Lampe Virginitie in Sixt Lampe Virginitie 261 Her accusers both eldest and youngest, first and last, secretly withdrew themselues one by one.

1590 R. Harvey Plaine Percevall sig. B^v First and last, helpe, quench all.

1699 Guide Juries 9 By the Law of Juries 24 Men in all, first and last, find one Guilty, &c. before the Judgement can be given.

first of exchange n. Finance the first of a set of bills of exchange of even tenor and date.The ellipsis of bill is common to all the European languages; but the phrase is often written in full, both in English and in the other languages.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > promissory notes or bills of exchange > [noun] > first of a set

first of exchange1671

1671 On Tryal between Letten & Moresco 9 At double Usance pay this my first of Exchange to Mr. A. B. five hundred Crowns at 56 d. per Crown value.

1799 A. J. Dallas Rep. Cases U.S. & Pennsylvania 3 365 He requested the said Donald & Burton at 60 days sight of that his first of exchange (his second and third not paid) to pay to the order of Mr. Hector Kennedy, £770. sterling.

1809 R. Langford Introd. Trade 27 Three months after date, pay this my first of Exchange (second and third not paid) to the order of Mr. R. Rich.

1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking v. 137 In case of delay of the arrival of a first of exchange.

1922 E. S. Furniss Foreign Exchange vii. 175 In ordinary practice one of the duplicate bills of exchange is attached to each set of shipping documents and is stamped, in order of drawing, first of exchange, second of exchange, third of exchange.

1980 D. Kobrin & V. Stott Negotiable Instruments ii. 12 Sixty days after sight pay this first of exchange (second and third of the same tenor and date being unpaid) to the order of Cain, the sum of eight hundred pounds.

P2. In senses of the adverb.

a. †both first and last: at all times, from start to finish (obsolete). first and last: taking one thing with another, at one time and another, reckoned altogether, in all. first or last: at one time or another, sooner or later (now rare).

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > the whole or all > that is all or the whole [phrase] > in all or altogether

by numbera1375

in numbera1375

in allc1380

first and lastc1390

all wholea1393

in companya1393

in sum1399

full and whole1402

in great1421

whole and somec1425

in (the) whole1432

one with another1436

in (the) hale1437

all in great1533

up and down1562

one and other1569

in (the) aggregate1644

all told1814

the world > time > relative time > different time > [adverb] > at some future time or one day

yeteOE

hereafter1154

hereafterwardc1386

sometimec1386

oncea1393

whiloma1400

rather or latera1450

one of these daysa1470

one day1477

umquhile1489

in timea1500

with time?1531

sooner or later1577

odd shortly1681

some summer's day1697

first or last1700

some of these (‥) days1831

someday1898

down the road (also track)1924

the world > time > particular time > [adverb] > at some time

somewhilea1240

somewhilec1250

somewhen1297

sometime1600

first and last1719

one of these fine days1762

some fine day1762

somewhere along the line1962

c1390 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) 717 Þis gode comunes..Meyntened þe werre boþ furst & last.

c1450 (?a1422) J. Lydgate Life Our Lady (Durh.) vi. 66 Of her wombe, the cloyster virgynall Was euere liche, bothe firste and laste Closed and shette as castell principall.

a1500 in T. Wright & J. O. Halliwell Reliquiæ Antiquæ (1845) I. 205 Aqueyntanse of lordschip wyll y noght, For furste or laste dere hit woll be bowght.

1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. clxxxxv^v For it hath be sene is sene, and euer shall That first or last foule pryde wyll haue a fall.

1678 Lady Chaworth in 12th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1890) App. v. 45 Lord Shrewsbery is like to marry Mr. Chiffens his daughter who will be first and last made worth 40,000l. to him.

1687 tr. J. B. Bossuet Conf. with Mr. Claude 21 The Decision wholly appertain'd to GODs Word alone, which the Church in her Assemblies both first and last did but shew and point to.

1699 W. Dampier Voy. & Descr. ii. i. 2 The Bay of Campeachy, where I lived first and last about 3 Years.

1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Palamon & Arcite ii, in Fables 38 And all are Fools and Lovers, first or last.

1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 64 I brought away all the Sails first and last.

1800 H. L. Piozzi Jrnl. 2 May in E. M. Bell Hamwood Papers (1930) xiii. 315 I brought their Papa more than £20,000 first and last, as the Phrase is.

1823 London Mag. Feb. 183 Truth is immutable, as the schools say; so 'tis all one, first or last.

1853 T. De Quincey Autobiogr. Sketches in Select. Grave & Gay I. 2 First and last, we counted as eight children..though never counting more than six living at once.

1941 W. Lewis Vulgar Streak i. iv. 33 Westminster and New College Oxford. The jack that's been spent on you first and last, to make you what you are!

2010 Farmer's Weekly 26 Mar. 3/3 The management teams of farmer-owned businesses must never again lose sight of the fact that they are owned by and accountable to farmers first and last.

b. first and foremost: firstly and most importantly, before and above all else.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adverb] > first of all

firstlOE

first and forward1362

first and foremostc1400

first of alla1522

c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xix. l. 116 Þat she furste & formest ferme shulde bilieue.

1583 G. Babington Very Fruitfull Expos. Commaundem. v. 212 First and formest..let them [etc.].

1630 R. Norton tr. W. Camden Hist. Princesse Elizabeth i. 129 She wished them, first and foremost to get the Queenes assent.

1742 H. Fielding & W. Young tr. Aristophanes Plutus i. i. 7 Come on; you, Sir, first and foremost, tell us who you are.

1874 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. I. xii. 492 Consent of the historians..makes him, first and foremost, a legislator.

1913 V. Steer Romance of Cinema 112 First and foremost the cinema show is a means of amusement.

2007 R. Lovegrove Silent Fields vii. 238 Weasels..are first and foremost farmland animals.

c. first catch your —— and variants: used as an instruction for, or ironic comment on, the (often difficult) preliminary step of a process. Cf. first catch your hare at hare n. 2. [Often thought to be in imitation of first catch your hare (and variants), but this is not recorded until 1806. Compare c1300 Bracton De Legibus Angliae iv. xxi.vulgariter dicitur, quod primo opportet cervum capere, & postea cum captus fuerit illum excoriare, ‘it is commonly said that one must first catch the deer, and afterwards, when he has been caught, skin him’.]

ΚΠ

1797 Monthly Rev. May 117 This mode of precept reminds us of a recipe in an old book on the art of cookery:—how to dress a dolphin, ‘First catch a dolphin,’ &c.

1815 W. Irving Let. 21 July (1978) I. 402 As yet they have not observed the first direction in the famous receipt to cook a Turbot—‘first catch your Turbot’.

1912 Science 4 Oct. 422/2 You must first catch your comet before you can make comet investigations.

a1966 M. Allingham Cargo of Eagles (1968) xx. 222 ‘The problem,’ continued Mr. Campion, ‘might be summed up as “First catch your Eagle”.’

1995 Independent on Sunday 15 Jan. 28/1 First catch your flatworm. Losing no time, the Captain has spoken to the country's worm charmers.

2008 D. Veart (title) First catch your weka: the story of New Zealand cooking.

d. first come, first served.

(a) As proverbial phrase. [Compare he that comes first to the mill grinds first at mill n.¹ Phrases 1] .

ΚΠ

?1542 H. Brinkelow Complaynt Roderyck Mors xvii. sig. E3 First come, first serued: so one or ij. shal be all payed, and the rest shal haue nothyng.

1632 P. Massinger Maid of Honour i. ii. sig. C3 And you know First come first seru'd.

1785 J. O'Keeffe Fontainbleau iii. 60 First come first served, as father says to his customers in the shop at home.

1860 Macmillan's Mag. June 113 The sailors..rushed away to the boat. First come, first in.

1887 Times (Weekly ed.) 24 June 7/4 It was..a case of first come, first served.

1934 R. Riskin It Happened One Night in Six Screenplays (1997) 223 Ellie. Are those seats reserved? Driver. No. First come, first served.

1960 ‘J. Winton’ We saw Sea i. 8 ‘Tell you what Hogg, if there's a chance of a destroyer in the next few days I'll give you first shot at it. How's that?’.. ‘Good, first come first served.’

2005 Rhythm Feb. 5/2 It's first come, first served, so get your skates on.

(b) attributive: used to indicate that people will be dealt with strictly in the order in which they arrive or apply.

ΚΠ

1845 N.Y. Herald 31 Aug. The ‘first come first served’ principle will be established.

1888 Parl. Deb. 3rd. Ser. 331 174 The Commissioners..instead of adopting the ‘first come, first served’ principle, should advance the money, on adequate security, to resident tenants.

1910 Inland Storekeeper Sept. 452/2 The plates will be given on the ‘first-come, first served’ basis.

1960 R. B. Gregg Power of Nonviolence (ed. 2) i. 38 Passengers were seated on a first-come, first-served basis.

2011 Daily Tel. 29 July 3/6 Visitors to Clarence House..will be allowed in on a first come, first served basis.

e. first in, first out.

(a) (The principle that) the first one to arrive is the first one to leave.

ΚΠ

1839 Army & Navy Chron. 5 Sept. 150/1 The language usually held in other kinds of fancy scavengering, ‘First in first out’, obtains no degree in this; the maxim having been supplanted by..‘having got once got your hands in, there stick’.

1877 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 16 Aug. The running rule is first in first out; sometimes on one division, sometime on another.

1940 Railroad Mag. Apr. 40/2 Chain gang , crew assigned to pool service, working first in, first out.

1977 E. Ambler Send no More Roses v. 89 It's to be first in, first out, with a points bonus for every month of overseas service.

2000 M. Thomas in M. Seear Man. Trop. Pediatrics xxi. 401/2 New items must be placed behind the existing stock to ensure correct rotation—first in first out.

(b) Economics. = fifo n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > [adjective] > relating to accounting methods

first in, first out1934

fifo1945

LIFO1945

add-back1954

society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > [adverb] > designating accounting method

first in, first out1934

1934 Jrnl. Accountancy Nov. 344 Shall cost be on the basis of ‘first in, first out’?

1936 N. L. Burton Introd. Cost Accounting vii. 109 When the first-in, first-out method is used, goods received are entered at actual cost—invoice price plus freight, etc.… Subsequent issues are priced at the cost of the second shipment received.

1965 Economist 31 July 470/2 Most companies in this country use the first-in-first-out (FIFO) system [of stocktaking].

2002 E. McLaney & P. Atrill Accounting (rev. ed.) iii. 79 Using the first in, first out approach, the first 9,000 tonnes of coal are assumed to be those that are sold and the remainder will comprise the closing stock.

(c) Computing. (Designating, relating to, or involving) a procedure in which the first item removed from a buffer, queue, etc., is the one that has been in it the longest. Abbreviated FIFO: see fifo n. 2. Cf. last adv., adj., and n.⁴ Phrases 2c(c).

ΘΚΠ

society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [noun] > set of instructions > FIFO or LIFO

fifo1966

first in, first out1966

LIFO1968

society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [adjective] > sets of instructions > FIFO or LIFO

fifo1966

first in, first out1966

LIFO1968

1966 IBM Systems Jrnl. 5 84 Another Class-1 algorithm, called fifo (first in, first out), has been investigated. fifo always replaces the block having spent the longest time in memory.

1973 P. B. Hansen Operating Syst. Princ. v. 188 The simplest replacement algorithm is first-in, first-out, which is used in the B5500 system.

1995 G. King Understanding & Designing Computer Networks 200 Spooling is a queue process, based on a first in, first out system.

2008 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 366 662 The ALU switches between at least two arithmetic functions and..a small FIFO (first in, first out memory buffer).

f. first of all: before anything else, in the first place. Cf. alder-first at alder- prefix 1a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > preceding or following in order > precede or follow in order [phrase] > firstly

first and forward1362

first of alla1522

first and foremost1552

the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adverb] > first of all

firstlOE

first and forward1362

first and foremostc1400

first of alla1522

a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1957) ii. iii. 147 And, first of all, the mannakillis and hard bandis Chargit he lows of this ilk mannis handis.

1553 T. Wilson Arte Rhetorique (1580) 5 [He] must fasten his mynde firste of all, upon these five especiall pointes.

a1648 G. Gillespie Usefull Case of Conscience (1649) 25 To declare, first of all that the expectation of death..doth not shake me from the Faith and Truth of Christ.

1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 89. ¶4 First of all I would have them seriously think on the Shortness of their Time.

1866 Rural Amer. (Utica, N.Y.) 1 Aug. 226/3 We must look, first of all, to lime and marl as the basis of all permanent improvement.

1937 D. L. Sayers Busman's Honeymoon 23 I put it down first of all to the effect of gold lamé, but on consideration, I think it was probably due to ‘lerve.’

2010 M. D. Kavanwal Awry in Arabia iv. 75 First of all, I cannot support you dating a married man. It's wrong.

g. colloquial (chiefly North American). first off: as a first point, firstly; on first consideration; from the start.

ΚΠ

1867 A. Cary Bishop's Son v. 100 Why, you are the one to crawl in after the varmint! 'Cause you're slim, first off, and next off, 'cause maybe the critter'll bite you.

1880 ‘M. Twain’ Tramp Abroad xx. 193 First-off, I thought it would certainly give me the botts.

1891 ‘L. Malet’ Wages of Sin II. v. i. 181 What anger is not righteous first off in the estimate of the enraged one?

1897 W. D. Howells Landlord Lion's Head 445 First off, you know, I thought I'd sell to the other feller.

1910 W. M. Raine Bucky O'Connor 39 Four's right. First off Neil, then the fellow I took to be the Wolf.

1915 Nation (N.Y.) 10 June 646/1 Men of science..no longer admit first off what simple good sense shows to us.

1963 F. C. Crews Pooh Perplex (1979) 66 Let's see—I guess first off I should tell you that Al's book was for kids, I mean originally, before us longhairs got on to it.

2010 J. McGregor Even Dogs (2011) iii. 90 There's a patch in the underpass we'll try first off,..should get enough for the first bag of the day.

h. colloquial (originally Australian). first up: from the start; first of all, firstly. Also as adj.: (chiefly Australian and New Zealand) first, first-time.

ΚΠ

1910 Referee (Sydney) 13 July 4/4 He went straight in and tried to win first up, but Murray revels in hitting and swapping punches is just his game.

1920 Geraldton (Austral.) Guardian 17 June Jockey Biglands rode a winner first up in Adelaide on Saturday week, and repeated the dose at Canning Park on Saturday.

1973 Nation Rev. (Melbourne) 31 Aug. 1462/1 Sponsoring..the first up efforts of young novelists and poets.

1977 N.Z. Herald 5 Jan. 10/3 She has been disappointing in two starts since she won first-up for the season at Pukekohe on December 4.

1996 Dominion (Wellington, N.Z.) (Electronic ed.) 22 Jan. 17 His form since a first-up win does not read well but trainer Colin Jillings said he suffered a virus after his second run.

2009 S. Mlynowski Parties & Potions 307 First up, we practice the opening march.

P3. In senses of the adjective.

a. court of first resort: see court of first resort n. at resort n. Phrases 1c.

b. in the first place: see place n.¹ 17.

c. of the first order: excellent or considerable of its kind. [Compare Middle French, French du premier ordre (mid 15th cent. or earlier in this sense).]

ΚΠ

1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions viii. sig. L. iiij The Sages (whiche other calle Philosophers) ware of the first ordre, or state: the whiche although thei ware in nombre feawer then any of the rest: yet ware thei in honour and dignitie aboute the kyng, farre aboue all other.

1794 E. Burke Let. 14 Sept. in Corr. (1844) IV. 236 Three or four of the senior fellows are men of the first order.

1895 Bookman Oct. 33/1 A diplomatist of the first order.

1922 ‘Sapper’ Black Gang xiv. 217 The whole thing is a boss shot of the first order.

1962 I. Murdoch Unofficial Rose xvii. 164 Felix regarded Randall as a four-letter man of the first order.

2008 Atlantic Monthly Dec. 83/2 Man's descent from the trees and adoption of the brilliant mechanics of bipedalism were innovation and progress of the first order.

d. (the) first thing: see thing n.¹ Phrases 5.

e. (to put or do) first things first: (to give) first place to the most important things.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > first things first [phrase]

(to put or do) first things first1830

1830 Christian Observer July 392/1 There is a sound common-sense maxim, frequently heard among the wise and prudent of this world—first things first.

1894 G. Jackson (title) First things first; addresses to young men.

1920 W. Riley Yorkshire Suburb 136 The dear lady was..incapable..of putting first things first.

1931 News Chron. 28 Apr. 3/3 ‘First things first’ must be the guiding principle.

1961 L. van der Post Heart of Hunter xviii. 245 The lion's sense of first-things-first decides the issue: it will go to the water before it eats.

1971 Scope (S. Afr.) 19 Mar. 124/4 Let's do first things first.

2006 J. Walters Maggie's Tree 223 But first things first. I'm beginning to feel a bit lagged, so I think if we're going to go out and eat, we should think about making a move.

f. Originally U.S. not to know the first thing about: not to know even the elements or rudiments of.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > want of knowledge, ignorance > unfamiliarity with, inexperience > lack skill or experience [verb]

unknowa1382

seeka1529

not to know the first thing about1856

not to have a clue1948

not to have a scooby1993

1856 Western Border Life xvi. 163 Well, now, Miss Fanny, you see you don't know the first thing about it.

1911 Pop. Mech. Mar. 163/1 (advt.) It makes no difference if you don't know the first thing about boat building.

1935 Punch 24 July 97/3 But I couldn't start up the car. I don't know the first thing about car-engines.

1976 T. Stoppard Dirty Linen 41 You see, you don't know the first thing about journalism.

2002 D. Verton Hacker Diaries i. 7 The system administrator was a complete poser who didn't know the first thing about securing the system.

g. at, on, etc. (the) first blush: see blush n. 2. at (the) first dash: see dash n.¹ 2. at (also in, on, upon) (the) first face: see face n. Phrases 8a(b). at first gaze: see gaze n. 3a. at the first push: see push n.² 1a. at (the, as to the) first sight: see sight n.¹ 6a. love at first sight: see love n.¹ Phrases 8.

Compounds

C1. Compounds of the adjective.

a. In attributive uses of collocations of the adjective with a noun, as first-quality, first-stage, etc.See also the attributive and adjectival uses of items in sense Compounds 1b(b); see also first aid adj., first base n., first class adj., First-day adj. and n. Compounds, first hand adj., first line adj., first name adj., first-order adj., first person adj., first rate adj., First World adj.first cause, chop, cousin, generation, intention, magnitude, mover, oar(s), pedal, person, post, principle, water, year, etc.: see the nouns.

ΚΠ

1771 R. B. Sheridan in Plays & Poems (1928) III. 123 But you, Hal, have heard out first quality praters.

1842 Punch 2 12 December... First-session pupils receive turkeys from their friends in the country.

1858 Hutchings' Calif. Mag. Aug. 315/2 I didn't git into New York till every first-cabin ticket had been sold.

1892 W. W. Greener Breech-loader 174 Loaded with first quality powder.

1904 Westm. Gaz. 28 May 2/3 First-category Cossacks of the Chitinsk, Argunsk, and Veckhni Udinsk regiments.

1905 Westm. Gaz. 14 Mar. 12/1 Any privileges which go with a first-cabin ticket.

1906 Daily Chron. 21 July 1/7 The third best first-wicket stand on record.

1906 Westm. Gaz. 24 Aug. 4/2 The nests which are marked and inspected by way of tests are always first-brood nests.

1909 Daily Chron. 23 July 6/7 Suitable employment, treatment &c., for first-stage patients.

1939 Sporting News 10 Aug. 1/2 The Reds lost four and a half games from their first-place margin.

1967 Boston Sunday Herald 26 Mar. ii. 1/5 The Celtics went up 2–0 on New York in their best-of-five first-round Eastern Division playoffs.

2011 New Yorker 21 Mar. 14/1 The eminent poet J. D. McClatchy, American opera's first-call librettist.

(a)

first beginner n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > causation > initiating or causing to begin > [noun] > initiator

openerOE

first beginninga1382

first beginner?1473

starter1662

initiator1676

mover1873

launcher1897

initiand1969

?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) I. lf. 4 He was laweful sone of Ether sone of demorgorgon the old dweller of the Caues of archade and first begynner of þ^e fals paynems goddes.

1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. vi. 81 He calleth him the Firstbeginner.

1976 New Scientist 19 Feb. 409/4 It is..one of the better introductions to the subject for the first beginner.

first beginning n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > causation > initiating or causing to begin > [noun] > initiator

openerOE

first beginninga1382

first beginner?1473

starter1662

initiator1676

mover1873

launcher1897

initiand1969

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Exod. xxxiv. 22 In þe first bygynnyng [L. in primitiis] of fruytes of þi whete heruest.

?a1450 (?c1400) Lay Folks' Catech. (Lamb.) (1901) 59 Loke þou withstande sadly þe furst begynnynge of þe temptacoun of þe fend.

1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) v. l. 121 Richt in the first begynnyng, Newly at his ariwyng.

1864 H. A. J. Munro tr. Lucretius De Rerum Natura I. i. 3 I..will open up the first-beginnings of things.

1987 A. Hultkrantz Native Relig. N. Amer. ii. 21 Most North American Indians consider that human existence was designed by the creator divinities of the ‘first beginning’.

first-comer n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [noun] > one who goes first or predecessor

ancestorc1300

foreganger1340

before-goerc1384

antecessora1387

predecessora1387

oldersc1450

precessor1454

forn-goer1483

before-gangerc1520

Adam1553

foregoer1556

preventer1598

forerunnera1616

decessor1647

first-comer1690

precursor1792

1690 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding iv. xix. 360 'Tis not strange, that the Mind should..render it self to the first Comer.

1732 H. Baker & J. Miller tr. Molière Misanthrope ii. i. 51 in Sel. Comedies VI Your Humour, Madam, opens too easy an Access in your Heart to the First-comer.

a1861 T. Winthrop Canoe & Saddle (1863) xiii. 293 There was the sutler's shop near the shore, and, grouped about it, tents of the first-comers of the overland emigration.

1868 J. R. Lowell Shakespeare Once More in N. Amer. Rev. Apr. 640 The privilege which only first-comers enjoy.

1880 Libr. Universal Knowl. X. 368 The foundling named by the first-comer.

2009 A. S. Byatt Children's Bk. (2010) iv. 40 The firstcomers..were the Russian anarchists.

first running n.

ΚΠ

1764 S. Foote Patron ii. 32 When..the sprightly first-runnings of life are rack'd off, you offer the vapid dregs to your deity.

1994 Ale St. News Apr. 22/3 Once the first runnings have drained out, it's time to start the process of rinsing the rest of the sugars out of the mash.

(b)

first among equals n. and adj. (a) n. the most senior or prominent person or thing in a group whose members share the same formal rank or status; (b) adj.designating such a person or thing (only in predicative use). [After post-classical Latin primus inter pares adj.]

ΚΠ

1711 P. Abercromby Martial Atchievem. Scots Nation I. ii. ii. 425 He is..the Primate of the Christian Church, the Moderator of their General Assemblies, the first among Equals.

1787 J. Adams Def. Constit. Govt. U.S.A. I. xliii. 240 Tisamenus..was first among equals at least.

1823 W. Tudor Life J. Otis xl. 151 This religious society..was generally considered the first among equals, of all the congregational churches.

1894 Yorks. Herald 16 Mar. 4/4 He would not there have found himself so indisputably first among equals as he is in the Lower House.

1934 P. J. Eikeland et al. Ibsen Stud. 50 The king in his relations to the other chieftains within his domain was..to be considered as the first among equals (primus inter pares).

1971 J. I. Coffey Strategic Power & National Security iv. 47 Many Americans have insisted that the United States be at least ‘first among equals’ insofar as strategic power is concerned.

2001 Nation (N.Y.) 29 Jan. 21/2 Although the legislature..and the judges..bear some responsibility for this explosive change, the vast discretionary powers of the prosecutors..make them first among equals.

2013 New Yorker 7 Jan. 70/2 A stunning array of Malevich's..paintings affirms him as the first among equals.

first ascent n. the ascent of a particular mountain for the first time.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > mountaineering or climbing > [noun] > ascent of specific mountain for the first time

first ascent1823

1823 Derby Mercury 22 Oct. The details of their first ascent [sc. Zumstein and Vincent's ascent of Monte Rosa] are to be found in the 25th volume of The Memoirs of the Academy of Turin.

1864 Alpine Jrnl. 1 207 We have received a little book narrating the first ascents of these almost unknown peaks, by two accomplished Swiss gentlemen.

1935 D. Pilley Climbing Days xvi. 321 Recent chronicles of the French Alpine Club are filled annually with notes of his First Ascents and other exploits.

1998 On the Edge June 30/1 First ascents on Baffin Island, in Patagonia and on Greenland..put Jerry amongst the top few big wallers in Britain.

First Australian n. and adj. (also with lower-case initial) Australian (a) n.(usually in plural) a member of an Australian Aboriginal people. (b) adj. of, relating to, or designating Australian Aboriginal people.

ΚΠ

1920 Evening News (Sydney) 27 Dec. 7/6 The First Australians. The Aborigine Protection Board reports that extensive repairs have been effected at the Aboriginal Boys' Home.

1933 Sydney Morning Herald 28 Nov. 8/5 The coloured Australian regiments would become more and more popular with the first Australians.

1952 Courier–Mail (Brisbane) 28 Aug. 2/4 Our First Australian children are in for a new deal. For the first time a complete set of reading primers has been written..for aborigines.

1965 G. McInnes Road to Gundagai 124 Doctor Uniapon is head of the Leper Mission at Yarrabunga in the Northern Territory. He is also one of the First Australians.

2012 Daily Mercury (Mackay, Queensland) (Nexis) 5 Mar. 9 Let's give some of the young First Australian men and women from communities like Alice Springs..a chance to join the industry.

† first birth n. [originally after post-classical Latin primogenitus, adjective and noun (see primogenit n.)] Obsolete a firstborn child; also (in singular or plural) the privileges of the firstborn child; also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > [noun] > first-born child

firstbornc1350

first-begottenc1384

first birtha1387

forbirtha1400

forthbirtha1400

primitivec1400

primogenitc1429

first-begot1551

primogeniture1596

society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > [noun] > hereditary > right of primogeniture

birtha1325

firme birtha1325

first birtha1387

first-birth right1535

right of primogeniture1602

primogeniture1614

primogenitivea1616

primogenitureship1622

ploughman's fee1660

majorat1827

the world > existence and causation > causation > source or origin > [noun]

welleOE

mothereOE

ordeOE

wellspringeOE

fathereOE

headeOE

oreOE

wellspringOE

rootc1175

morea1200

beginningc1200

head wella1325

sourcec1374

principlea1382

risinga1382

springinga1382

fountain14..

springerc1410

nativity?a1425

racinea1425

spring1435

headspring?a1439

seminaryc1440

originationc1443

spring wellc1450

sourdre1477

primordialc1487

naissance1490

wellhead?1492

offspringa1500

conduit-head1517

damc1540

springhead1547

principium1550

mint1555

principal1555

centre1557

head fountain1563

parentage1581

rise1589

spawna1591

fount1594

parent1597

taproot1601

origin1604

fountainhead1606

radix1607

springa1616

abundary1622

rist1622

primitive1628

primary1632

land-spring1642

extraction1655

upstart1669

progenerator1692

fontala1711

well-eye1826

first birth1838

ancestry1880

Quelle1893

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 301 Þe furste burþe [L. primogenita] of hem were special profiȝtes and worschippes to the eldest sones.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. ix. xxxi. 546 Þe vertue of þe aungel þat slouȝ þe firste burþis were wiþstonde þerby.

a1500 (?c1425) Speculum Sacerdotale (1936) 90 In the Olde Testament and in the olde lawe it was commaundid for to yeve teþyngis and also prymycies, scilicet, yche firste birthe.

1527 Caxton's Trevisa's Higden ii. xi. 69 Jacob..had boughte the firste byrthes and slyly geten his faders blessynge.

1654 J. Ellistone & J. Sparrow tr. J. Böhme Mysterium Magnum liii. 382 Unless it did..forsake the firstbirth of the creature..; and give over the dominion and will of life, to the spirit of Christ in this heavenly pottage.

1838 J. C. Hare & A. W. Hare Guesses at Truth (ed. 2) 1st Ser. 51 Those twin firstbirths of Poetry.

† first-birth right n. Obsolete the privileges of the firstborn child.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > [noun] > hereditary > right of primogeniture

birtha1325

firme birtha1325

first birtha1387

first-birth right1535

right of primogeniture1602

primogeniture1614

primogenitivea1616

primogenitureship1622

ploughman's fee1660

majorat1827

1535 Bible (Coverdale) (Deut. xxi. C) He shall knowe the sonne of the hated [wife] for y^e first sonne, so that he geue him dubble of all that is at hande: for..the firstbyrth righte is his.

1650 J. Trapp Clavis to Bible (Gen. xxxviii. 27) 299 Then came forth Perez..who took the first-birth-right and kingdom by force.

first blood n. the blood of either of the combatants drawn first in a fight; (figurative) the first point or advantage gained in a contest.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > boxing > [noun] > actions or positions

first bloodc1540

guard1601

feint1684

in holds1713

shifting1793

rally1805

muzzler1811

one-two1811

stop1812

southpaw1813

fibbing1814

leveller1814

mouther1814

ribber1814

stomacher1814

teller1814

in-fighting1816

muzzling1819

weaving1821

out-fighting1831

arm guard1832

countering1858

counter1861

clinching1863

prop1869

clinch1875

right and left1887

hook-hit1890

hook1898

cross1906

lead1906

jolt1908

swing1910

body shot1918

head shot1927

bolo punch1950

snap-back1950

counterpunch1957

counterpunching1957

Ali shuffle1966

rope-a-dope1975

c1540 J. Bellenden tr. H. Boece Hyst. & Cron. Scotl. viii. xxxix. f. 100^v/1 The Saxonis traistyng al thingis y^e better to succeid (gyf thay gat y^e first blude) slew all the prisoneris.

1651 H. Parker Scotlands Holy War 57 If wee did not pitch the warre there, and there draw the first bloud, wee did necessarily expose our selves to the first charge, and impression of our enemies here.

1664 J. Wilson Cheats iv. i. No—No—No—First blood, first blood:—And now Major, you think I cheated you:—By this good Morglay! The Rogue was resolv'e to fight.

1729 Daily Jrnl. (London) 31 Mar. [I] invite the said Mr. Clements to meet me as above, and exercise the usual Weapons now in Esteem, for 10l. s on the first Blood, and five on the whole Battle.

1789 Oracle 27 Oct. First blood on the part of Perrins under the eye.

1899 R. Kipling in McClure's Mag. May 11/2 First blood to me. You flushed, Ansell. You wriggled.

1964 C. Willock Enormous Zoo iii. 52 Before first blood was drawn it was decided to see what could be done to the ruined grazing of certain areas by simply keeping the hippo out.

2000 Dawn (Karachi) 16 Apr. 18/1 Europe drew first blood in the delayed second round of fourball matches of the Seve Ballesteros Trophy.

first-choice adj. originally U.S. (a) (in a system of preferential voting) designating a vote cast for a voter's most preferred candidate or party; (b) gen. that is chosen before or in preference to all others; most favoured or desired.

ΚΠ

1867 S. Sterne Rep. Constit. Convent. State of N.Y. Personal Representation 29 You give the same value to the contingent that you do to the first choice vote, and thus an undue influence is given to numbers.

1873 Official Rep. Proc. & Deb. 3rd Constit. Convent. Ohio I. App. 1258/1 Every first choice candidate receiving the aforesaid necessary number, shall be declared elected.

1893 Gardening 1 Feb. 149/3 So long as we have squirrels and field mice and pigeons in our woods, so long we must expect that sweet chestnuts will be their first choice food.

1908 Pacific Reporter 97 733/2 The elector has the utmost freedom of choice in casting his first-choice ballot.

1963 Times 31 July 2/5 (advt.) If your son or daughter does not reach the standard required by your first choice school why not consult David Talbot Rice.

1981 H. W. Allen Poindexter of Washington ii. 27 Poindexter won the nomination against a field of six candidates with 29 percent of the first choice votes.

2004 M. Collins Chasing Chariot 154 Woodward had scarcely any first-choice players available.

first coat n. the first layer of a substance covering a surface, esp. plaster or paint.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > decorating and painting > [noun] > painting > coat of paint > specific coats

first coat?1600

overcoating1855

undercoat1873

base coat1907

undercoating1922

guide coat1930

overpaint1944

wash coat1951

overcoat1959

society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > surfacing or cladding > [noun] > bricklaying and plastering > plastering > plastering with first coat > first coat

first coat?1600

rendering1659

rough coat1791

render1833

scratch-coat1891

?1600 H. Plat Delightes for Ladies sig. D2^v At the first coat put on but one halfe spoonefull with the Ladle, and al to moue the bason, moue, stirre and rub the seedes with thy left hande a pretty while, for they will take sugar the better, and dry them wel after euery coate.

1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture II. vi. ix. f. 15^v/2 Upon the first coat, while it is still wet and fresh, lay on the second.

1775 tr. Valuable Secrets Arts & Trades 161 The composition..with which gilders make that first coat, called by the artists assiette, or burnish-gold size.

1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 390 First Coat of two-coat work, in plastering, is denominated laying when on lath, and rendering when on brick.

1921 H. Diemer et al. Mod. Foremanship & Production Methods 54 Any [car] bodies that have ‘sags’ or ‘runs’ in the paint after the first coat of color is applied..are sent to the paint repair.

2007 Young Archaeologist Summer 4/2 The first coat is called the ‘scratch coat’ because the surface is scratched with lines so the next coat sticks to it.

† first-coated adj. Obsolete covered with the first layer of some substance.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > painting or coating materials > [adjective] > painted with first coat

first-coated1870

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > plaster > [adjective] > covered with > with first coat

first-coated1870

1870 Eng. Mech. 11 Feb. 385/1 The laths are ‘primed’ or first-coated.

first communion n. (also with capital initials) Christian Church the occasion on which a person first receives the Eucharist; (now chiefly Roman Catholic Church) this occasion as a religious ceremony and celebration, typically involving communicants of around 7 or 8 years of age.

ΚΠ

a1649 W. Drummond Wks. (1711) 224 At his first Communion, in Token of his true Reconciliation, he drunk out the full Cup of Wine.

1707 G. Hickes tr. F. de S. de la Mothe-Fénelon Instr. Educ. Daughter viii. 164 The first Communion ought to be at the time when Children being come to the use of Reason, shall appear more Docile.

1803 W. Godwin Life Chaucer I. 54 The rite of confirmation, according to the Roman Catholic discipline, is always subsequent..to the first communion.

1926 Amer. Mercury Apr. 485/2 We received a droll snap-shot of the boy arrayed for his first communion.

2007 Irish Independent (Nexis) 12 May When my niece arrives at the church to make her First Communion, she will look lovely in her white dress, shoes, and bag.

first cost n. Accounting prime cost, cost price.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > [noun] > wholesale or cost price

first penny1557

first costa1641

prime cost1695

cost price1800

cost1811

society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > [adjective] > types of price

first costa1641

ruling1657

driveaway1931

off-price1955

keen1964

near-market1967

a1641 T. Mun England's Treasure (1664) xx. 209 When we have valued their first cost, we must add twenty five per cent. thereunto for the charges here.

1773 B. Franklin Votes & Proc. Boston Pref. p. v Which, at the first Cost here, can scarce be reckoned at less than Half a Guinea a Head per Annum.

1778 T. Jefferson Let. 5 June in Papers (1950) II. 194 The master had once sold the whole cargo..for 5s. 3d. the livre, first cost.

1840 Liverpool. Jrnl. 4 July 1/4 Quantity of soiled account books..at first cost prices.

1857 Trans. Illinois State Agric. Soc. 1856–7 2 20 Corn, oats, bran and meal will be furnished, at first cost.

1991 Professional Engin. July 15 (caption) Re-design to suit the pump to more universal markets resulted in a boiler feed pump which..had a competitive first cost.

first cross n. (in animal and plant breeding) the initial cross (cross n. 28a) between two different breeds of animal or varieties or species of plant; an instance of this; an animal or plant resulting from such a cross (cf. F1 at F n. Initialisms 1i).

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > domestic animal > [noun] > livestock > stock or breed > cross-breed > of two pure breeds

first cross1793

the world > life > biology > biological processes > genetic activity > heredity or hereditary descent > [noun] > cross-breeding or hybridism > hybrid or cross

mongrel1558

hybrid1601

centaur1606

mulatto1664

half-strain1673

cross1761

cross-breed1774

first cross1793

double-cross1810

quadroon1811

intercross1859

outcross1882

reciprocal1901

filial generation1902

monohybrid1902

vicinist1905

first filial (or F₁) generation1909

polyhybrid1910

back-cross1919

second filial (or F₂) generation1938

1793 Ann. Agric. 19 91 (note) It deserves notice, however, that the horns go at the first cross.

1862 W. Youatt Sheep (new ed.) vii. 260 The first cross evidently detracted much from the beauty of the English sheep.

1910 T. Allen Profitable Pig Breeding ii. 13 A first cross of pure-bred stock, judiciously selected, is hard to beat.

1947 J. Stevenson-Hamilton Wild Life S. Afr. xxi. 165 The two best dogs..I ever possessed..were a first-cross between a pointer and a bull-terrier, and a first-cross between Great Dane and Irish terrier.

2000 Land (N. Richmond, New S. Wales) 1 June 9/4 They run 3200 Merino ewes, using Border Leicester rams to produce first cross lambs.

first-day cover n. originally U.S. an envelope bearing, or designed to bear, stamps postmarked on the day when they were first issued (see cover n.¹ 2d).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > hobby > collecting stamps > [noun] > related matters

perforation gauge1882

plate number1912

cover1923

first-day cover1926

1926 Collectors Club Philatelist Jan. 84 The collection of first day covers and first flights is on the increase and it seems certain that these side issues of philately will continue to gain adherents owing to the historical interest attached to them.

1951 J. L. Grumbridge Introd. Stamps ix. 103 This quite intelligible demand for first-day covers as items of philatelic interest.

1971 D. Potter Brit. Elizabethan Stamps vi. 66 To accompany the new stamps, a very simple first-day cover envelope was prepared by the Post Office.

2003 S. Brown Free Gift Inside! 200 These product replenishment problems..helped increase the book's cult following, rendering it akin to a rare Pokémon card or first day cover.

first derivative n. Mathematics a derivative obtained by differentiating a function once.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > calculus > [noun] > differential calculus > differentiation > derivative

derivativea1690

fluxion1704

differential coefficient1708

differential coefficient1786

first derivative1852

1815 tr. J. L. Lagrange in C. Hutton Philos. & Math. Dict. (new ed.) I. 561/1 If we regard..the area of a curve as a function of the abscissa, the ordinate is then the first derivative function [Fr. la première fonction derivée].]

1852 T. G. Hall Treat. Differential & Integral Calculus (ed. 5) iii. 31 This process is called successive differentiation, and du/dx, dp/dx, dq/dx, &c. are called the first, second, third, &c. differential coefficients, or the first, second, third, &c. derivatives of u.

1881 J. C. Maxwell Treat. Electr. & Magnetism (ed. 2) I. 8 The first derivatives of a continuous function may be discontinuous.

2007 H. I. Brown Conceptual Syst. x. 418 The Schrödinger equation..includes second derivatives of the spatial terms but only the first derivative of the time term.

first desk n. (in an orchestra) the position occupied by the principal player, or occasionally players, of a particular instrument, typically seated at the front of the section; frequently attributive.

ΚΠ

1852 Musical World 19 June 396/2 On Wednesday last Vieuxtemps took the first desk, and performed two Quartetts..with such masterly perfection, that the enthusiasm of the audience became boisterous.

1863 E. Wallace tr. F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Lett. 1833–47 148 Haydn's ‘Farewell Symphony’, in which..the musicians..went away in succession till the violinists at the first desk alone remained.

1909 New Music Rev. Dec. 12/2 The playing of certain passages..by the first desk players of each department of the strings only.

1972 N.Y. Times 3 Nov. 30/1 Here Mr. Watts..was joined by two first-desk men of the orchestra—Bernard Goldberg, flute, and Fritz Siegal, violin.

1998 Strad June 577/3 In the 1980s she experimented with a return to performance on first desk of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

2006 GeoJournal 65 42/1 The orchestra's other principals comprise the first-desk players of the second violins, violas, cellos, [etc.].

first down n. American Football and Canadian Football the first of a series of four or (in Canadian football) three downs (see down n.⁴ 5); (also) a gain of ten or more yards, by which the offensive team is entitled to a new series of downs; frequently attributive.Rules regarding the number of downs permitted and yards required have changed over time.

ΚΠ

1885 Boston Daily Globe 19 Nov. (Evening ed.) 3/3 After the ball was taken to the centre of the field, the first down was made in '87's territory.

1889 Outing Jan. 360/2 The first down had better be utilized by getting the ball in front of the goal if it is off at the side of the field. The second down should be an attempt to get somewhat nearer.

1977 Winnipeg Free Press 14 Sept. 73/2 Most teams run on first down most of the time. If the gain is only two or three yards, most of them will pass on the second.

1998 D. Mullins And Ten to Go xxv. 192 On the second-down play, with fifteen yards to reach the first-down marker, Clark fumbled the cold ball.

2007 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 26 Nov. b1/4 Joseph looked to be stopped on a third-and-one plunge at the Winnipeg 10, but a video review moved the spot up just enough for the first down.

first early adj. and n. (a) adj. designating or relating to a variety or crop of potatoes (or other vegetables) which is the first of the early varieties or crops to be harvested; cf. early adj. 3; (b) n. (chiefly in plural) such a variety or crop; cf. early n. 2.

ΚΠ

1776 R. Edmeades Gentleman & Lady's Gardener i. 31 For the first early crop of peas, you must sow some of the Hotspurs on a warm border at the end of October.

1814 Gen. Rep. Agric. State & Polit. Circumstances Scotl. App. i. ix. 420 The first earlies [sc. potatoes] are the Ashleaved, London Early, Superfine Early, and different sorts of Early Dwarfs.

1870 Jrnl. Hort., Cottage Gardener, Country Gentleman 27 Jan. 58/1 For first early Potatoes allow 36 inches between the rows.

1895 W. J. Malden Potato 62 The four first earlies planted on May 31 averaged rather less than 67 cwt. per acre.

1963 Times 22 Apr. 2/6 Arran Pilot..now accounts for over 50 per cent of the first early acreage.

1987 Green Cuisine Feb. 21/4 The 1st earlies are ready to lift when the crop is about the size of a hen's egg.

2005 Grow your Own Dec. 38/2 Spuds are named after when they are planted, kicking off with the first earlies which..can be planted as early as March.

first edition n. [perhaps after post-classical Latin editio princeps editio princeps n., although this is apparently first attested later] the earliest edition of a book or other printed work (frequently attributive); an individual copy of this, typically regarded as valuable or collectable; also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > book > edition > [noun] > first edition

first edition1542

editio princeps1775

princeps1814

first1862

1542 T. Elyot Bibliotheca Proheme sig. A.iii^v Receyue this my symple labour and study, which I haue eftsones dedicate vnto your hyghnes, with lyke benignitie as you receyued my fyrste edition.

a1647 T. Hooker Applic. of Redempt.: 9th & 10th Bks. (1657) x. 377 These first Editions, and Spiritual Dispositions imprinted upon the heart.

1674 P. Walsh Hist. & Vindic. Loyal Formulary i. 25 All the first Edition was immediately bought.

1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 177. ⁋9 A copy..which he firmly believed to be of the first edition.

1807 Literary Panorama Dec. 535 The addition has been made on the first edition copies.

1809 T. F. Dibdin Bibliomania 45 His present Majesty enriched his magnificent collection with many of the Consul's first editions, and vellum copies.

1856 M. Heron tr. A. Dumas Camille v. 58 Do you know, Camille, I have grown tired of the first edition of my life.

1905 Westm. Gaz. 9 June 10/1 A first edition copy of ‘Richard III’.

1973 Jrnl. Mod. Lit. 3 179 The first edition score of Dvorak's Trio in E flat major.

2004 C. Chin in H. Bidgoli Internet Encycl. I. 331/2 The seller sold 20 first editions of the Harry Potter book series containing fraudulent autographs.

first-ever adj. (attributive) that is the first experienced, known, recorded, etc., at any time (cf. ever adv. 5b).

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > first or prior to all others

formec888

eldestc897

firstlOE

originalc1350

foremosta1400

furthermost?a1400

primary?a1425

primatea1425

primea1500

arch1574

soon1591

origin1632

utter1634

premier1652

aboriginary1653

furthest1653

fontal1656

principial1699

première1768

protological1936

first-ever1955

1954 Life 15 Nov. 180/1 (advt.) Mince pie in-a-can. First ever! The piepan can contains a fine, thick, rich mince pie.]

1955 Life 19 Sept. 39 (advt.) Look! It's the first-ever design-divine in pantie girdles!

1958 Listener 17 July 94/3 Cambodia's first-ever seaport.

1986 Lydney Observer 12 Sept. 2/8 The first-ever night-time golf tournament in this country.

2003 More Dec. 138/1 Soothing scratchy eyes just became easier, thanks to the first-ever prescription dry-eye treatment.

first family n. (a) (chiefly in plural) any of the families considered to have the greatest social rank or prestige in a particular area; esp. (in the United States) the descendants of the early European settlers in a region; (b) the family of the head of a nation, state, etc.; spec. the family of the President of the United States; also in extended use.In sense (a) (in the United States) now frequently in First Families of Virginia (abbreviated FFV).

ΚΠ

1643 W. Prynne Soveraigne Power Parl. iii. 122 The Patriarks, the first families of most Nations and Countries.

1740 S. Richardson Pamela II. 53 You know you have been sought to by some of the first Families in the Nation, for your Alliance.

1855 Harper's Mag 186/1 All the old settlers of Albany—the first families of that Dutch and aristocratic capital—will remember ‘Jimmy Caldwell’.

1894 ‘M. Twain’ Pudd'nhead Wilson xii. 156 This superiority was exalted to supremacy when a person of such nativity could also prove descent from the First Families of that great commonwealth.

1913 T. C. Miller & H. Maxwell West Virginia I. xiii. 197 His title to nobility rose in proportion to the intimacy of his alliance with the first families of Virginia.

1937 Bluefield (W. Va.) Daily Tel. 17 Jan. 1/4 The beautiful residence which saw formal state functions and gayety, the home life of the state's first family.

1958 Life 19 May 41/1 After a visit with the first family of the U.S.., prince and princess left to put a royal frosting on an exuberant state's cake-cutting.

1995 Mojo Jan. 91/1 The Wenners on the town are clearly rock 'n' roll's First Family.

2004 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 9 Apr. b39/2 Lexingtonians who can trace themselves back to one of the FFVs—first families of Virginia—are known to do little but contemplate the fact.

2010 Cape Cod Times (Nexis) 30 Aug. The Marine One helicopter with the first family onboard landed at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod just after 10 a.m. yesterday.

first feature n. a film that is the main feature in a cinema programme (cf. second feature n. at second adj. and n.² Compounds 1).

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society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > a film > type of film > [noun] > feature film

feature film1911

big picture1913

feature1913

feature picture1913

first feature1936

featurette1942

1936 World Film News May 28/2 To sell a film as a first-feature, a producer must have a personality..well enough known to induce the public to go to the..theatres.

1936 World Film News May 28/2 And so we reach the figure of £30,000 as the normal minimum cost of a first-feature film.

1958 Observer 9 Mar. 4/6 This film—a first feature on its first release round a big circuit—was badly presented.

1969 Listener 14 Aug. 201/1 The quota system. Thirty per cent of first features shown in this country have to be made here.

2010 A. Macor Chainsaws, Slackers, & Spy Kids viii. 231 The market was widening for independently made films, especially first features.

first finger n. (in the hand of humans and other primates) the finger next to the thumb; the forefinger, the index finger; (occasionally also, in non-human primates) the second digit of the hind limb; (in other tetrapods) the first (radial) digit on the forefoot, corresponding to the thumb.

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the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > digit > finger > [noun] > forefinger

teacherc1290

lickpot1387

index1398

showing finger?a1425

forefingerc1450

first finger?1530

insignitor1598

demonstrator1657

trigger finger1829

pointling1840

index finger1849

index-digit1866

arrow finger1875

weft-finger1880

?1530 R. Whitford Werke for Housholders sig. F.i Teche them also to knowe the names of the fyue wyttes, and to put the fyrst fynger of the ryght hande vnto y^e instrumentes of the same wyttes.

1672 J. Playford Introd. Skill Musick (ed. 6) ii. 96 You stop with your first Finger on the first Fret, and shake with your second Finger as close to it as you can.

1771 C. Burney tr. G. Tartini Let. to Maddalena Lombardini 7 Playing it..with the first finger upon G on the first string.

1828 J. Stark Elements Nat. Hist. I. 59 Lemures... First finger of the hind feet after the thumb terminated by a sharp turned up nail.

1837 W. Macgillivray Hist. Brit. Birds I. 34 Those [quills] on the first finger, g, are named the alula, or spurious wing.

1887 J. White Anc. Hist. Maori I. iii. 41 They..dipped the first finger of their left hands in the blood of Hotu-a and held their hands up to heaven.

a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xviii. 481 A pad on the male's first finger..is used as a holdfast when the male [common frog] grips the female in the coupling or embrace.

1991 R. Fuller Stares xv. 113 Her renunciation of cigarettes was recent, for her right first finger was still brown.

2012 Scuba Apr. 72/2 Three-finger mitts..keep the last three fingers together for warmth, while retaining the dexterity of your thumb and first finger.

first fleet n. (also with upper-case initial(s)) Australian History (usually with the) the eleven British ships that arrived in Australia in 1788 to found the penal colonies from which the first European settlements grew; (as a modifier) designating a person from one of these ships, or (one of) his or her descendants, as first fleet convict, first fleet man, etc. (cf. first-fleeter n.).

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1791 P. G. King Jrnl. Norfolk Island 12 Nov. 6 in Austral. National Dict. (1988) 248/2 The far greater part of those Convicts who left England in the First Fleet in 1788..conduct themselves with Honesty.

1875 A. Griffiths Memorials of Millbank II. i. 13 ‘Any man,’ said..one of these first fleet convicts who had reached affluence and comfort at last..‘would have committed murder for a month's provisions.’

1978 V. Windeyer Austral. in Commonw. 14 Captain Arthur Phillip brought the First Fleet there—two naval vessels, three store ships and six transports carrying convicts.

2018 South Coast Reg. (New S. Wales) (Nexis) 16 Nov. 8 He proudly talks about June being a first fleet descendant of Thomas Spencer, a Marine and a first fleet convict Mary Phillips.

first-fleeter n. Australian slang a person who came to Australia aboard one of the ships of the first fleet; a descendant of one of these persons.

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1826 Monitor (Sydney) 1 Sept. 123/2 I am, Sir, Yours, &c. An Old Hand, but not a First Fleeter.

1830 D. McLeod in Hist. Rec. Austral. (1922) 1st Ser. XV. 371 One of the first Fleeters died a few Years ago.

1848 H. W. Haygarth Recoll. Bush Life Austral. viii. 93 A man who, by his own account, is of so long standing in the neighbourhood as to have been what is called in the colony a ‘first fleeter’.

1961 Bulletin (Sydney) 10 May 4/4 How long will it be before ‘First Fleeters’—descendants of those who arrived with Governor Phillip—manage to work up the same sort of snobbery about their status as America's Pilgrim Fathers have?

1983 J. Hepworth Great Austral. Cities When the First Fleeters clanked ashore To Sydney Town..They threw a rorty party.

1999 Independent on Sunday 14 Nov. (Review Suppl.) 7/2 In our Sydney hierarchy I am like a goddess, a princess, because I'm a surfie girl and a first-fleeter.

first-flight adj. [compare in the first flight at flight n.¹ 8d, top n.¹ and adj.] (now rare) of the highest quality, first-rate.

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1841 Fraser's Mag. 23 16 A first-flight Meltonian is not said to ride well, but to go well, after hounds.

1934 F. S. Fitzgerald Let. 10 May (1964) 307 It did not have as large a proportion of first-flight stories.

First Folio n. (also with lower-case initials) (usually with the) the earliest collected edition of the plays of William Shakespeare, published as a single folio volume in 1623; an individual copy of this.

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1733 L. Theobald Wks. Shakespeare I. 304 The first Folio reads, as the Poet intended, Yoaks, and Mrs. Page's meaning is this.

1828 C. Lamb Detached Thoughts on Bks. in Elia 2nd Ser. 182 I do not care for a First Folio of Shakspeare... I rather prefer the common editions of Rowe and Tonson.

1886 Athenæum 21 Aug. 251/1 The first folio reading differs in very important respects from that subsequently adopted.

1907 Mod. Lang. Rev. 2 358 It is hardly necessary nowadays to insist upon the superior value of the text of the First Folio.

1949 N.Y. Times 13 Aug. 13/1 Henry Folger bought seventy nine First Folios... Englishmen damned him from hell to breakfast.

2008 A. Murphy Shakespeare for People ii. 76 A copy of the First Folio, bound in plain calf, probably cost about £1 in 1623.

first form n. (a) the lowest form in a school; (b) Printing the form that is the first one to be printed on to any sheet of paper.

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society > education > learning > learner > one attending school > [noun] > division of pupils > form or class

form1560

first forma1602

remove1718

shell1736

sixth-form1807

lower sixth (form)1818

pettya1827

grade1835

the twenty1857

baby class1860

standard1862

nursery class1863

primer1885

reception class1902

sixth form1938

reception1975

a1602 W. Perkins Comm. Epist. Gal. (1604) 229 In the first forme, the teacher and master is the law.

1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. Dict. 376 First Form, the Form the White Paper is Printed on, which generally by Rule ought to have the First Page of the Sheet in it.

1824 J. Johnson Typographia II. 654/1 First Form, the form the white paper is printed on, which generally has the first page of the sheet in it.

1877 J. D. Chambers Divine Worship Eng. 139 The First Three Lessons..were read by Boys from each side alternately from the first Form.

1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. First Forme, the inner or outer [forme] of a sheet—whichever is printed off first.

1997 G. Nicholls & J. Gardner Pupils in Transition vii. 73 The days of simply seeing the children out of the door at the end of primary schooling and waiting for a new cohort to arrive in first form are very much over.

2010 E. Evenden & T. S. Freeman Relig. & Bk. in Early Mod. Eng. i. 22 For the first twelve pages printed, the first pair of formes would hold pages 1 and 12 in the first forme, the second would hold pages 2 and 11.

first futtock n. Nautical each of the futtocks forming the frame nearest the keel of a wooden vessel.

ΚΠ

1754 M. Murray tr. H. L. Duhamel du Monceau Elements Naval Archit. iv. 25 in Treat. Ship-building From e, the head of the first futtock, to 6.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. First Futtocks, timbers in the frame of a ship which come down between the floor-timbers almost to the keel on each side.

1998 K. Crisman in V. Brehm Fully Accredited Ocean i. 34 The typical square frame consisted of seven overlapping pieces: a single floor timber at the base (this timber crossed, and was bolted to, the keel), two first futtocks, two second futtocks, and two top timbers.

first gear n. the lowest in a set of gears on a vehicle, used when travelling very slowly; also figurative with reference to slow or initial progress (cf. low gear n. at low adj. and n.² Compounds 3).

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > gear > specific gear

bottom gear?1865

high gear1889

low gear1895

fourth1900

second gear1902

first gear1907

second1907

first1909

second speed1912

high1914

low1914

1907 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 11 May 1133/2 In changing from the first speed to a higher speed the car should be made to run rather fast for the first gear.

1950 Billboard 24 June 94/3 Detroit's long-discussed International Trade Fair moved into first gear this week with the organization of a preliminary board of directors.

1965 Motoring Which? Oct. 136/2 The effect of changing to low ratio is to make all gears lower, so that, for example, in the Land-Rover you then have three gears lower than the ordinary first gear.

1971 New Scientist 10 June 649/2 The discussion had only just got into first gear at the end of its hour.

1994 D. J. Wishart Unspeakable Sadness Acknowledgem. p. xv I am particularly grateful to Jeanne Kay for getting this project out of first gear.

2008 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 23 Nov. (Sports section) 9/3 The manual transmission is a bit easy to stall in first gear, but you can crawl in second.

first-half adj. relating to or occurring in the first half of something divided into two periods, esp. a sports game or the financial year.

ΚΠ

1890 Leeds Mercury 10 Feb. The Rovers scored two tries and five minors, Britannia failing to make any addition to their first half score.

1958 Analysts Jrnl. 14 80/1 The upward trend has continued in 1958, with first-half figures of approximately $4,250,000,000.

1977 Time 19 Sept. 48/2 At Bethlehem Steel..first-half profits dived 88%.

2005 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 19 Sept. vii. 7/5 Bennett was benched after his two first-half fumbles and dropped pass.

† first-kinned adj. Obsolete = firstborn n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > relationship to parent > [adjective] > first-born

eldestc1000

first-begottenc1350

first-gottena1382

firstbornc1384

first-gendereda1398

first-kinneda1400

oldest1478

ayne1483

first-conceived1574

eigne1586

eldest-born1608

primogenit1619

first-begot1671

primogenitala1706

old1706

primogenitary1827

primogenitive1842

a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) civ. 34 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 239 He smate al firstkinned in land ofe þa.

first language n. the language which a person first acquires in infancy, usually in contrast with another acquired subsequently (cf. second language n. at second adj. and n.² Compounds 1); (also formerly) †the original language of a nation (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > a language > [noun] > native language

lede-quidec1275

birth tonguea1387

mother languagea1425

mother tongue?a1425

vulgar1430

mother's languagec1443

mother's tongue1517

natural language1570

commona1616

natural1665

vernaculara1706

native1824

home language1833

first language1875

Umgangssprache1934

mameloshen1968

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 157 Walsche men and Scottes, þat beeþ nouȝt i-medled wiþ oþer naciouns, holdeþ wel nyh hir firste longage and speche.

1661 J. Wallis Let. 24 Mar. in Corr. (2003) II. 52 Children..are now to learn their First Language.

1772 C. Vallancey Ess. Antiq. Irish Lang. 5 The Pœni or Carthaginians having been originally Phœnicians, it is undeniable their first Language must have been Phœnician.

1875 W. D. Whitney Life & Growth of Lang. ii. 25 We realize better in the case of a second or ‘foreign’, than in that of a first or ‘native’ language, that the process of acquisition is a never-ending one.

1971 Guardian 23 June 7/3 Indians and Pakistanis..using a second language at school and their first language for many home activities.

2011 Guardian 21 May 41/5 Pat would walk the two-mile journey to school barefoot for most of the year and was belted for speaking his first language, Gaelic.

first lieutenancy n. the post or rank of first lieutenant.

ΚΠ

1736 H. Boulter Let. 8 Jan. (1769) II. 190 I shall be very much obliged to your Grace if you would please to bestow a first lieutenancy on Robert Moland, at present a second Lieutenant in the said regiment.

1866 H. Coppée Grant & his Campaigns 25 His first-lieutenancy dated from Sep. 16, 1847.

1998 J. G. Acken Inside Army of Potomac Notes 446 He resigned to accept the first lieutenancy of Donaldson's Company H.

first lieutenant n. (a) a naval officer with executive responsibility for a ship or other command; (b) a military officer holding a rank above second lieutenant and below captain (now chiefly in the U.S. army or air force).

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > leader or commander > [noun] > naval officer > lieutenant > first lieutenant

first lieutenant1697

first luff1821

number one1909

Jimmy1916

No. 11916

society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > leader or commander > [noun] > naval officer > lieutenant > first lieutenant > office of

first lieutenant1697

1697 J. Cockburn Contin. Acct. Nature Distempers Seafaring People xiv. 66 Mr Noble, first Lieutenant of the same Ship, was taken ill after the same manner.

1783 London Mag. Aug. 183/2 21st reg. foot. Robert Innes, Captain of a Company; Andrew Fletcher, First Lieutenant; Gilbert Congalton, Gent. Second Lieutenant.

1784 Ann. Reg. 1782 255 Royal Oak—Mr. Gwatkin, first lieutenant, killed.

1797 Encycl. Brit. X. 36/1 Second Lieutenant in the Artillery, is the same as an ensign in an infantry regiment,..and must assist the first lieutenant in the detail of the company's duty.

1846 W. H. Richardson Jrnl. 7 Aug. (1928) 18 We met our first Lieutenant, just from the Fort. He told us to hurry and get mustered into service before the other companies should crowd in.

1925 F. S. Fitzgerald Great Gatsby 79 I accepted a commission as first lieutenant.

1979 P. O'Brian Fortune of War iii. 106 The first lieutenant and Babbington were busy with their sextants, measuring the angle subtended by the chase's masthead.

2007 J. McCourt Now Voyagers iv. 146 Freddie in my platoon you are first lieutenant.

first light n. the time when light first appears in the morning.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > day and night > day or daytime > dawn > [noun]

aristc825

dawingc900

dayeOE

day-rimOE

day-redOE

mornOE

lightOE

lightingOE

dawning1297

day-rowa1300

grekinga1300

uprista1300

dayninga1325

uprisingc1330

sun arisingc1350

springc1380

springingc1380

day-springa1382

morrowingc1384

dayingc1400

daylighta1425

upspring1471

aurora1483

sky1515

orienta1522

breaking of the day1523

daybreak1530

day-peep1530

morrow dayc1530

peep of the morning1530

prick of the day?1533

morning1535

day-breaking1565

creek1567

sunup1572

breach of the day1579

break of day or morn1584

peep of day1587

uprise1594

dawna1616

day-dawn1616

peep of dawn1751

strike of day1790

skreigh1802

sunbreak1822

day-daw1823

screech1829

dayclean1835

sun dawn1835

first light1838

morning-red1843

piccaninny sun1846

piccaninny daylightc1860

gloaming1873

glooming1877

sparrow-fart1886

crack1887

sun-spring1900

piccaninny dawn1936

1679 J. Davies tr. Appian Hist. i. vii. xxi. 220 The Military Tribunes and Primipiles running up and down, urged every one to get ready to march by the first Light.]

1838 J. Bosworth Dict. Anglo-Saxon Lang. Frum-leoht, first light or dawn.

1857 W. G. Wills Life's Foreshadowings i. in Irish Metrop. Mag. 1 7 I shall sleep at his house to-night. I'll be back with you by first light.

1926 L. S. Kelly Yellowstone Kelly xi. 190 I..tried to sleep but could not for thinking of the necessity of being on the way at first light.

1942 Flying Sept. 266/3 At first light on November 18, the Air Forces in the Western Desert moved into action.

1946 Amer. Speech 21 209 Orders [in the Eighth Army] for an early start never mentioned dawn but instead used first light... There might be some squabble about just what time constituted dawn. There couldn't be any at all about first light, at least not in the desert.

1965 R. McKie Company of Animals vii. 113 Jim went at first light to check which animals were visiting a small salt-lick in the jungle.

a1985 P. White With the Jocks (2003) 119 I had warned all my Jocks to be dug in by first light.

First Lord n. British (short for) First Lord of the Admiralty; (also occasionally) First Lord of the Treasury.

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society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > naval officials > [noun] > Lord of Admiralty

First Lord of the Admiralty1723

Lords (Commissioners) of the Admiralty1739

First Lord1814

sea-lord1817

society > authority > office > holder of office > high officials of state > [noun] > lord or first lord

lord1398

First Lord of the Admiralty1723

First Lord1814

society > trade and finance > management of money > [noun] > one who has charge of or manages money > one who manages public money > specific officials

chamberlain1415

teller1434

under-treasurer1447

treasurer of the king's warsc1450

vice-treasurer1541

chequer-man?1577

Clerk of the Pellsa1603

treasurer at wars1617

fiscal1652

quaestor1673

underteller1694

First Lord of the Treasury1698

Paymaster General1698

melter1758

treasurer1790

First Lord1855

apposer-

1814 J. Austen Mansfield Park II. vii. 155 I would rather find him private secretary to the first Lord than any thing else.

1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple III. i. 11 A letter from your lordship to the First Lord—, only a few lines.

1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xviii. 185 He ceased to insist on his right to thrust himself between the First Lord and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

1914 D. Haig Diary 6 Aug. in War Diaries & Lett. 1914–18 (2005) 54 The Navy, the First Lord (Churchill) stated, could not protect the passage of our transports during the longer sea passage across the North Sea to the Scheldt.

1993 Jrnl. Mil. Hist. 57 453 Winston Churchill, the First Lord from 1911 through the spring of 1915, and subsequently Minister of Munitions in 1917 and 1918.

First Lord of the Admiralty n. British (now historical) the civilian president of the Board of Admiralty (the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, abolished in 1964).In quot. 1723 referring to the holder of a comparable position in Russia.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > naval officials > [noun] > Lord of Admiralty

First Lord of the Admiralty1723

Lords (Commissioners) of the Admiralty1739

First Lord1814

sea-lord1817

society > authority > office > holder of office > high officials of state > [noun] > lord or first lord

lord1398

First Lord of the Admiralty1723

First Lord1814

1723 tr. F. C. Weber Present State Russia I. 58 M. Kikin first Lord of the Admiralty.

1739 Gentleman's Mag. June 307 Wager, Sir Charles, Westminster, First Lord of the Admiralty.

1812 S. Whitbread Speech in Commons 7 May The..emolument drawn by the late first Lord of the Admiralty as Teller of Exchequer.

1909 Hansard Commons 1 1110/2 Mr. Robert Harcourt asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he was prepared to give an official definition of the term capital ship.

2002 B. Hoey Her Majesty xiii. 209 As First Lord of the Admiralty, he was responsible for the maintenance and running costs of the Royal Yacht.

First Lord of the Treasury n. British the head of the commission exercising the office of Lord High Treasurer.Since the early 18th cent. the holder of the office of First Lord of the Treasury has typically also been the head of the government, referred to (at first unofficially) as Prime Minister (see note at prime minister n. 1). Since 1905 this office has by convention always been held by the Prime Minister.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > management of money > [noun] > one who has charge of or manages money > one who manages public money > specific officials

chamberlain1415

teller1434

under-treasurer1447

treasurer of the king's warsc1450

vice-treasurer1541

chequer-man?1577

Clerk of the Pellsa1603

treasurer at wars1617

fiscal1652

quaestor1673

underteller1694

First Lord of the Treasury1698

Paymaster General1698

melter1758

treasurer1790

First Lord1855

apposer-

1698 W. Cowper Anat. Humane Bodies sig. a1 To the Right Honorable Charles Mountague, first Lord of the Treasury.

1767 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy IX. xi. 47 The first Lord of the Treasury thinking of ways and means, could not have returned home, with a more embarrassed look.

1843 T. Carlyle Past & Present ii. xvii. 174 Of whom as First Lord of the Treasury..we could be so glad and proud.

1905 Official Gaz. E. Afr. & Uganda Protectorates 15 Dec. (Reuter's Telegrams) The Members of the Cabinet given before are now Officialy [sic] confirmed and the following are additions. First Lord of the Treasury…Sir H. C. Bannerman.

2010 Daily Tel. 26 May 26/3 The sole achievement of Gordon Brown as Second and then First Lord of the Treasury was to keep Britain out of the euro.

first love n. (a) the person with whom one falls in love for the first time; (b) devotion to God experienced at a person's conversion; (c) the first experience of falling in love or the devotion associated with this; (d) one's favourite occupation, pastime, possession, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > love > amorous love > [noun] > first time one falls in love

first lovea1470

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > hobby > [noun]

parergon1607

curiosity1646

hobby-horse1676

hobby1816

cheval de bataille1818

fad1867

first love1971

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 359 He is my fyrste love, and he shall be the laste.

1490 W. Caxton tr. Boke yf Eneydos xi. sig. Cviii^v After the deth dolourouse & cursid of my somtyme husbonde Sychee. whiche bare awaye my firste loue wyth hym whan he was leyde vnder therthe.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Rev. ii. 4 Neverthelesse I have sumwhat agaynst the, for thou haste lefte thy fyrst love [1384 Wycliffite, E.V. first charite].

1569 T. Underdowne tr. Heliodorus Æthiop. Hist. iii. f. 46^v (margin) Theagenes pained the more because he was neuer in Loue before. Wherby may be gathered that the firste Loue pincheth.

1606 N. Breton Poste with Packet Madde Lett. (new ed.) II. sig. G3 A young man to his first Loue. Sweete Loue, since first I sawe you, I haue seene none like you.

1670 N. Ranew Solitude Improved by Divine Medit. i. xxii. 87 That his first works done again, might be a rekindler of his first Love.

1706 G. Pooley Serm. Preach'd before Lord Mayor 10 Christians fallen from their First Love.

1741 S. Richardson Pamela III. xiv. 63 It was a first Love on both Sides; and so he could not appear to her as a practised Deceiver.

1823 C. Lamb Mrs. Battle's Opinions on Whist in Elia 75 Quadrille, she has often told me, was her first love; but whist had engaged her maturer esteem.

1825 H. Wilson Mem. II. 91 First love is all powerful in the head and heart of such an ardent character as Worcester's.

1861 R. C. Trench Comm. Epist. 7 Churches Asia 77 The suggestion that this leaving of the first love can refer to the abating of any other love.

1883 R. Broughton Belinda I. i. i. 46 Rivers looks at her; looks at her as a wholesome minded and bodied boy of twenty-two does look at his first love.

1938 Amer. Home Oct. 28/3 Tole was my first love, and I have about twenty pieces of this fascinating ware.

1954 E. McLeod tr. Colette Vagabond ii. viii. 129 You couldn't mistake it; it was love indeed, first love. That was what it was and never again will be.

1961 J. R. Rice Count your Blessings 7 I wonder if some reader reads this and finds his heart cold, unresponsive? Then you have lost your first love.

1971 Radio Times 27 May 5/1 Despite a recent ITV series his first love remains radio.

2011 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 13 Jan. 25/1 With his fellow students Benois and Nouvel, his cousin and his first love Dima Filosofov, and their friend Léon Bakst.

first luff n. Nautical slang (now historical) = first lieutenant n. (a).

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > leader or commander > [noun] > naval officer > lieutenant > first lieutenant

first lieutenant1697

first luff1821

number one1909

Jimmy1916

No. 11916

1821 P. Egan Real Life in Ireland xv. 165 You must lay, said the jolly first luff, bread and butter fashion, or as we sailors have it, dab says Daniel.

1916 Our Navy (U.S.) Mar. 39 We have the best captain on this station..and our First Luff is as good as they make them.

2012 M. Melton Best Station of them All vi. 53 While the warship was at sea the master or first luff and his sextant set a course.

first magistrate n. now chiefly historical the foremost magistrate; the head of state.

ΚΠ

1559 R. Crowley Lanquet's Epitome of Crons. (new ed.) ii. f. 39^v In Lacedemonia Ephorus was constituted theyr firste magistrate.

1686 T. Otway tr. S. de Broë Hist. Triumvirates I. lii. 202 Being the first Magistrate of Rome, he was resolved to enquire into the difference between the King and his Sister.

1789 N.Y. Daily Gaz. 1 May 426/1 Yesterday the Great and illustrious Washington..entered upon execution of the office of First Magistrate of the United States of America.

1801 A. Hamilton Wks. VII. 219 It must be a matter of profound regret that a proposal which could give rise to it should have come from the First Magistrate of the United States.

1954 C. Dawson Medieval Ess. (2002) iii. 39 The emperor was not only the first magistrate of the Roman republic.

2000 A. Walford tr. A. Vauchez Encycl. Middle Ages II. 1504/1 From now on he [sc. the doge of Venice] was no more than the first magistrate of the city.

first man n. [in sense (a) after Italian primo uomo primo uomo n.] (a) the principal male role or singer in an opera or opera company; = primo uomo n. (now historical); †(b) Mining (see quot. 1883) (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > singer > opera-singer > [noun] > chief male singer

first man1757

primo tenore1798

primo uomo1829

primo tenore assoluto1848

1757 H. Mann Let. 27 Aug. in H. Walpole Corr. (1960) XXI. 128 Manzuoli is our first man, and the best singer at present in Italy.

1880 G. Grove Dict. Music II. 509/1 It was de rigueur that the First Man (Primo uomo) should be an artificial Soprano.

1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining First man, the head butty or coal getter in a stall, who..is responsible for the safety of the men working under him and for the proper working of the coal.

1992 J. Rosselli Singers Ital. Opera (1995) 130 From 1750 we can also observe a widening of differentials between the fees paid to stars (the first man or first woman or both) and those paid to the other singers.

first mate the chief officer of a merchant vessel, second in command to the master (cf. mate n.² 5a).

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > [noun] > mate

mate1488

first mate1683

first officer1758

chief1896

mister1897

maat1919

1683 J. Morrison tr. J. J. Struys Perillous Voy. iii. i. 114 William Klopper, First-Mate and Carpenter.

1727 P. Longueville Eng. Hermit ii. 151 The Captain of her having been first Mate of the Ship to which Quarll did formerly belong.

1883 Cent. Mag. Jan. 398/2 The deck-hand ‘roustabouts’, under the stimulus of the first mate, began to carry it abroad.

1959 P. O'Brian Unknown Shore vi. 118 ‘But thirty-nine, I doubt’, said the first mate, lowering his quadrant.

2011 J. Buchan Trawlerman ix. 198 The first mate's job can be tricky. Being the conduit between the captain and the crew.

first matter n. [after post-classical Latin materia prima, itself after ancient Greek πρώτη ὕλη (see materia prima n.)] Philosophy a formless primordial substance considered as the original material of the universe. Also figurative.

ΚΠ

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xiii. xx. 665 Þe primordial and firste matere [þ]at [MS it] was in þe bygynnynge of þe worlde noȝt distingued by certeyne forme... Þat mater was..withoute ordre and wiþoute liȝte.

1619 S. Purchas Microcosmus lviii. 564 Vncreated Chaos, or Hyla, or first Matter.

1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. (1739) i. xl. 60 Though the Saxons were in name our first matter.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 472 One first matter all, Indu'd with various forms, various degrees Of substance.

a1687 H. More App. to De Philos. Cabbal. (1713) viii. 183 That Hyle or first Matter is mere Possibility of Being, according to Aristotle.

1882 Catholic World July 470 Materia prima, or first matter..is the first subject of all substantial changes, existing per se in all bodies.

1995 W. Weaver tr. U. Eco Island of Day Before 256 The first result of Creation was First Matter, without form of dimensions, qualities, properties, tendencies, lacking movement and repose, raw primordial chaos, hyle, which was yet neither light nor darkness.

first minister n. (also with capital initials) the principal minister of a sovereign, ruler, or state; the chief officer of the executive branch of government (spec. in Scotland and Wales since devolution in 1997) (cf. prime minister n. 1).

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > head of government > [noun] > first minister of a ruler or state

prime minister1655

first minister1657

premier1675

premier ministera1678

vizier1709

Katikkiro1866

1657 Duke of Ormond Copie Let. to Bp. of Dromer 2 I think I know what is due from me to the first minister of a great King.

1741 Lords' Protest in J. Morley Walpole (1889) vii. 163 We are persuaded that a sole, or even a First Minister, is an officer unknown to the law of Britain.

1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea II. lii. 358 The first minister..is a kind of representative on behalf of the regal prerogative.

1803 Ld. Melville in J. Morley Walpole (1889) vii. 162 That power must rest in the person generally called the First Minister, and that minister ought, he [sc. Pitt] thinks, to be the person at the head of the finances.

1843 tr. A. L. L. de Custine Empire of Czar I. 107 Peter notified him, through his first minister, that he was to attend the ceremony.

1997 Daily Tel. 25 July 1/3 The [sc. Scottish] parliament will have an executive headed by a First Minister which will operate in a similar way to the United Kingdom Government.

2002 Scotsman (Nexis) 1 Apr. 4 The First Minister of Wales..said yesterday that he was discussing whether to recall the Welsh assembly.

2008 Vanity Fair May 200/2 This ‘perilous’ situation, as Scotland's first minister, Alex Salmond, described it.

first motion adj. Mechanics (attributive) designating a part which first receives motion from an engine or motor and communicates it to another part; spec. designating the input shaft of a gearbox.

ΚΠ

1834 Law Jrnl. Rep. 12 28/1 The shafting was connected with the first-motion shaft from the new engine.

1899 Electgr. Rev. 4 Aug. 211/1 Where toothed gearing is absolutely necessary..much depends on the satisfactory working of the first motion wheels.

1912 Motor Man. (ed. 14) v. 165 The two shafts in the gearbox are called respectively the first motion shaft and the second motion shaft.

2011 L. Porter Land Rover Series III Reborn 175/1 This is a first motion shaft removed by Adrian from a scrap gearbox.

first novel n. the first novel written by a particular author.

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society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > novel > [noun] > a writer's first novel

first novel1838

1838 Southern Lit. Messenger Sept. 561/1 In the heads of such persons there are a thousand wild thoughts, romantic fancies and crude conceptions... In a first novel, these will find vent.

1876 Gentleman's Mag. Oct. 412 Daniel Deronda..is as much a first novel, from a fresh hand and mind, as if no scene of clerical life had ever been penned.

1942 E. Waugh Put out More Flags iii. 213 ‘It won't do,’ he always said whenever Mr Bentley produced a new author, ‘no one ever reads first novels.’

2006 New Yorker 12 June 153/1 London's second generation Asians are given the ‘Trainspotting’ treatment in this slang-driven first novel.

first offender n. a person who is convicted of a criminal offence for the first time.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > criminality > criminal person > [noun] > new

first offender1808

criminaloid1890

society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > [noun] > crime > a criminal or law-breaker > a convicted criminal > convicted of first offence

first offender1808

1808 Edinb. Rev. Oct. 179 Those only committed for trial; those actually convicted; hardened and first offenders; the profligate and the evil-disposed; the innocent and the guilty, ought not to be mingled indiscriminately together.

1849 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 3 Nov. 283/2 In the assize-yard there was a considerable number of what are called first-offenders.

1869 Temple Bar Mar. 541 We ought to temper justice with mercy in dealing with all first offenders.

1935 Economist 18 June 1353/1 Not at Borstal only, but in at least one of the prisons for first offenders, the humanising influence is at work.

1992 A. Ashworth Sentencing & Criminal Justice 225 The first general provision was in the First Offenders Act 1958, which stated that a Court should not pass a sentence of imprisonment on a first offender unless it was of the opinion that no other method of dealing with him was appropriate.

2004 H. Strachan Make a Skyf, Man! xiv. 160 You'll get fingers pointed at you..and cries of derision: Yah! First offender!

first officer n. (a) the second in command to the captain or master of a ship; (now esp.) the first mate of a merchant vessel; (b) the second in command to the captain on an aircraft; a co-pilot.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > [noun] > mate

mate1488

first mate1683

first officer1758

chief1896

mister1897

maat1919

society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > leader or commander > [noun] > naval officer > commander

master and commander1757

first officer1758

commander1804

society > travel > air or space travel > people who fly in aircraft or spacecraft > [noun] > person in control of aircraft or spacecraft > person in control of aircraft > co-pilot

first officer1758

co-pilot1927

1758 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 106/2 He thought it his indispensible duty..to extend his..bounty to the relief of all their wants in sickness, from the first officer down to the meanest seamen in his ship.

1849 J. F. Cooper Sea Lions II. ix. 121 ‘I wish we were two hundred miles to the eastward’, observed the young master to his first officer.

1921 Times 25 Aug. 10/2 He had been first officer to Major Scott in R-39, the first rigid airship completed in this country during the war.

1935 Times 7 Jan. 16/4 (advt.) Fastest and most up-to-date aircraft on any inland route. Manned by both pilot and first officer.

1988 Salina (Kansas) Jrnl. 17 Jan. 7/1 A first officer on a British container ship went berserk at sea Saturday, stabbing his captain..and threatening 19 other crew members.

2001 E. Hester Plane Insanity i. v. 31 The captain, first officer, and flight engineer remained hidden behind the cockpit door.

first penny n. now historical prime cost, cost price (usually as adverbial phrase).In quot. 1674, perhaps: first amount, amount starting a contribution, testimonial, etc.; a handsel.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > giving > gift or present > [noun]

givec888

lakeOE

presentc1230

giftc1275

garrison1297

benefit1377

beneficec1380

givinga1382

handsela1393

donativec1430

oblation1433

propine1448

presentationc1460

don1524

sportule1538

premie?1548

first penny1557

donation1577

exhibition1579

donary1582

fairing1584

merced1589

gifture1592

meed1613

recado1615

regalo1622

regale1649

dation1656

compliment1702

dashee1705

dash1788

cadeau1808

bestowment1837

potlatch1844

prez.1919

Harry Freeman's1925

pressie1933

society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > [noun] > wholesale or cost price

first penny1557

first costa1641

prime cost1695

cost price1800

cost1811

1557 Let. in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1598) I. 297 The sorting clothes may cost the first peny 5. li. 9. s. the cloth, one with the other.

1568 H. Baker Well Spryng of Sci. f. 110^v So muche did the elle cost at the firste penie.

1620 J. Smith New Englands Trials (Arb.) 242 Her fraght, which she sold at the first penny for 2100 pounds.

1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ iii. vi. 57 Her cargazon of broad cloth was worth the first peny neer upon 30000l.

1674 A. Marvell Let. 5 Nov. in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 332 E of Pembroke marryed to Madame Querrouals sister. The King gives 10000^li first peny.

1766 W. Cockin Rational & Pract. Treat. Arithm. i. 122 I demand what the C. weight cost first penny?

1975 E. S. Morgan Amer. Slavery, Amer. Freedom ii. x. 205 Obviously a price of tobacco calculated in goods ‘at the first penny’ cannot be compared with a price calculated in goods at an ‘advance’.

First People n. (also with lower-case initials) chiefly Canadian (usually in plural) the indigenous peoples of Canada, considered collectively; Canadian Indians, Inuit, and Metis (cf. First Nation n.); (also more generally) the indigenous peoples of any country or region.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of America > native or inhabitant of North America > native or inhabitant of Canada > [noun]

Canadian1568

Canada Indian1688

Canadian Indian1760

Johnny Canuck1862

Native Canadian1953

First People1973

1973 T. Ornstein (title) The first peoples in Quebec: a reference work on the history, environment, economic and legal position of the Indians and Inuit of Quebec.

1981 United Press Internat. Newswire (Nexis) 19 Dec. Canada's one million Indians, Metis and Inuit..fear that when Canada adopts a new constitution next year it will threaten the very survival of the First People.

1988 Amer. Athropologist 90 777/1 International problems that Indian nations throughout the Western Hemisphere hold in common as First Peoples colonized within their own aboriginal lands.

1999 B. Demers Willa's New World 300 One perhaps lesser known fact is the important role First Peoples women played not only in the fur trade but in their own societies.

1999 Irish Times 30 Oct. 14/8 Increasing numbers of non-Aboriginal people [are] seeking a respectful relationship with Australia's first peoples.

2010 J. Borrows Canada's Indigenous Constit. 396 The First Peoples of Canada have always had a verbal tradition: speeches, myths, legends, stories, songs, and poetry..have been transmitted from generation to generation.

first pointed adj. Architecture (now rare) = Early English (see Early English adj. at early adj. and n. Compounds 2).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > style of architecture > [adjective] > Early English

Early Pointed1804

Early English1807

first pointed1819

E.E.1848

lancet-pointed1888

1819 Gentleman's Mag Mar. 225/1 It will be remembered that the first Pointed Style, or acute arch, began in the 12th century.

1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 427/1 The First Pointed, Lancet, or Early English style to which the transitional work thus led up.

1886 F. G. Lee King Edward VI i. 58 A first-pointed chapel and charnel-house.

2003 St. John's (Newfoundland) Telegram (Nexis) 13 Aug. a4 The architectural style of the church was described as early English, or first pointed.

first polar n. Mathematics a curve of degree n related to a given curve C of degree n + 1 and a point P by containing every point of C whose tangent passes through P.Usually called simply a polar. The first polar of a circle is a straight line: cf. polar n. 2. In mathematical terms: (of a point (a₀, a₁,…a_n) with respect to a curve described by the homogeneous function f(x₀, x₁,…x_n) = 0) the curve represented by the equation Σ_ia_i ∂f/∂x_i = 0.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > geometry > point > [noun] > on a curve

first polar1836

umbilic1843

spinode1852

stationary point1856

ineunt1859

triple point1872

tacnode-cusp1873

1836 A. De Morgan Differential & Integral Calculus 414 We can take points in the first polar line to join with P.

1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 720/2 If the given curve has a node, the first polar passes through this node,..and..if the curve has a cusp, the first polar passes through the cusp, touching the curve there.

2009 F. Sullivan tr. M. C. Beltrametti et al. Lect. Curves, Surfaces & Projective Varieties v. 138 The first polar of each of these points with respect to X passes through Q.

first position n. (a) Ballet a position in which the heels are placed together and the feet are turned outwards; (also) a position in which the arms are held slightly curved in front of the body at waist level; (b) Music the lowest possible position of the hand on the fingerboard of a stringed instrument.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > dancing > ballet > [noun] > positions

first position1706

fourth position1884

Third Position1953

society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > playing instruments > playing stringed instrument > [noun] > position of left hand

first position1706

1706 P. Siris tr. R.-A. Feuillet Art of Dancing xv. 28 A step in the first Position Backwards.

1880 H. E. Krehbiel tr. K. Courvoisier Technics of Violin Playing (1881) iii. 14 (caption) Correct position of the thumb and fingers in the first position.

1884 O. Guttmann Aesthetic Physical Culture iv. i. 144 The practice for the lower port de bras is: Fifth position of the feet, first position of the arms.

1884 D. Anderson Compl. Ball-room Guide 10 First position, heels together, and toes turned out at a right angle.

1913 M. B. Gilbert Gilbert Dances I. 133/1 Pirouette to right, arms in first position.

1957 G. B. L. Wilson Dict. Ballet 124 In the First Position the legs are together and the heels touching but not overlapping, with the feet fully turned out in a straight line.

1966 B. Schwartz tr. C. Flesch Violin Fingering i. 9 The basic position of the hand at the lower end of the fingerboard, with the first finger naturally poised to produce a second above the open string, constitutes the ‘first position’.

2001 Kenyon Rev. Winter 157 The women suddenly turn their feet out into first position (a move that brought tears to Martha Graham's eyes).

first prize n. the award given to the person who, or animal or thing which, comes first in a race, sporting contest, etc., or wins a competition based on merit, skill, or excellence in a particular field; (also) the prize of greatest value offered in a lottery, raffle, or similar competition.Sometimes in extended use (usually ironic).

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > token of victory or supreme excellence > [noun] > prize > first

first prize1550

agonism1592

blue ribbon1770

1550 T. Nicolls tr. Thucydides Hist. Peloponnesian War vi. iv. f. cliii^v I [sc. the owner of a chariot] dyd wynne the firste pryze of the course.

1697 J. Potter Archæologiæ Græcæ I. ii. xx. 375 The Musical Numbers..were sung by Musicians, who contended for Victory; the first Prize was won by Terpander.

1788 W. Falconer Diss. Infl. Passions Introd. p. i The following Essay has been crowned with the first prize medal of the Medical Society.

1845 Beck's Florist 137 The first prize for twenty Roses in pots.

1868 Times 20 June 10/4 Lord Sondes obtained the first prize in red polled bulls.

1915 M. Gyte Diary 25 May (1999) 54 [In] a whist drive at the Sheldon School... our Ethel won first prize (sugar basin, jug and tray).

1976 Beano 3 Jan. 6/2 Yahoo! I've won first prize in a crossword competition!

1991 R. R. McCammon Boy's Life iii. iv. 250 Cory, if there's ever a biggest-liar-in-town contest, you'll win first prize for sure!

2007 Snooker Scene Aug. 16 Wattana..missed the yellow and Higgins controlled the decider to secure the £25,000 first prize.

first reading n. (also with capital initials) the first of a number of occasions (typically three) on which a bill must be formally presented to a legislative assembly before it becomes law (cf. reading n.¹ 2c).

ΚΠ

1571 Orig. Jrnl. House of Commons (Parl. Archives MS. HC/CL/JO/1/2) 3 The Bill concernyng comynge to the churche and receavinge of the comunyon the fyrste readinge.

1641 Order & Course of passing Bills in Parl. iv. 10 A Bill may be preferred to be secondly read the next day after the first reading.

1763 R. Burn Eccl. Hist. I. 62 A bill was brought into the house of commons, for erecting and augmenting of vicarages, and had a first reading, but proceeded no further.

1865 Daily National Intelligencer (Washington) 15 Nov. First readings (which, as I have heretofore explained, are mere formalities) have been given in both houses to all other bills.

1956 Times of India 11 May 1/3 The Minister will reply to the first reading debate tomorrow.

2011 N. Kochan & R. Goodyear Corruption iii. 67 The Bribery Bill had its first reading in the House of Lords in November 2009.

first refusal n. an agreement with a prospective customer that goods, etc., will not be on sale to others until he or she has refused them (cf. refusal n. 3); also figurative and in extended use.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > buying > [noun] > purchase before others are offered the chance > offer to specific customer for

first refusal1638

1638 T. Heywood Wise-woman of Hogsdon iv. sig. H2 You may haue view thereof, but otherwise. A Lady that hath crau'd the sight thereof: Must haue the first refusall.

1712 B. Grosvenor Temper Jesus towards Enemies 8 All the World are to wait until they have had the first refusal of the Gospel-Salvation.

1871 G. H. Lewes Let. 5 Apr. (1955) V. 139 We want £100 for the early sheets—the poem to appear in America in June—and of course we give you the first refusal.

1970 M. Kelly Spinifex i. 12 I made damn sure this department got the first refusal of your services.

2007 Independent (Nexis) 27 Mar. 36 The company..would have first refusal on poster sites at key Olympics locations.

First Republic n. the republican regime governing France from the abolition of the monarchy in 1792 until Napoleon’s accession as emperor in 1804.In early use probably not as a fixed collocation.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > a or the system of government > specific regimes > [noun] > in France

reign of terror1784

ancient regime1792

ancien régime1794

terrorism1795

First Republic1800

White Terror1805

restoration1815

consulate1845

Red Terror1864

commune1871

marshalate1874

1800 T. Erskine Substance of Speech on Motion for Addr. to Throne 7 He was here..as the French King's Ambassador, but he presented letters of credence from the first Republic, with the most unqualified professions of respect and friendship.

1831 Morning Post 20 Apr. That horrible guillotine which yet exists reposing in the Hotel de Ville from the infernal glories of the first Republic.

1852 New Monthly Mag. Nov. 343 Only let Napoleon III. remember that the first Empire received France from the hands of the First Republic.

1964 R. R. Palmer Age Democratic Revol. (1989) II. vi. 180 In documents of the First Republic..we never find the three..words [Liberty, Equality, Fraternity] as an official triad.

2001 D. A. Bell Cult of Nation in France 208 Peasants of course, were the original targets of the First Republic's efforts at national integration.

first responder n. North American a member of the emergency services who is first on the scene at an (esp. medical) emergency, esp. a member of a fire or police department trained to provide emergency medical care.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > policeman > with other specific duties

receiver1829

shoo-fly1877

charge-inspector1887

sparrow cop1896

handler1908

courtesy cop1938

community policeman1941

first responder1975

the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > coldness > extinguishing fire > [noun] > fire-fighting > fireman > specific

bitterc1467

engineman1724

pipeman1763

vamp1877

nozzle man1885

pumper1912

smoke-jumper1940

tillerman1968

first responder1975

1975 Jet 20 Feb. 18/1 The course, now taught at Harvard, trains ‘first responders’,—firemen, police and ambulance personnel to administer medical aid.

1980 N.Y. Times 15 Sept. b4/5 There have been repeated efforts to get the Police Department to assume ‘first responder’ first aid responsibilities and train its officers in resuscitation for heart-attack victims.

1997 Vancouver Sun 29 Jan. a12/4 Although firefighters have less knowledge, experience and skill in medical matters, it is critical to fire departments that they retain their role as medical ‘first responders’.

2007 U.S. News & World Rep. 19 Feb. 34/1 Our already strained first responders have little to no surge capacity to handle large-scale events.

first resurrection n. Christian Church a limited resurrection of the dead described in Revelation 20:4–6 as occurring one thousand years before the general resurrection, variously interpreted as the resurrection of the martyrs, the resurrection of all righteous people, or believers' spiritual resurrection to new life; cf. resurrection n. 2. [Compare post-classical Latin prima resurrectio (early 3rd cent. in Tertullian).]

ΚΠ

c1350 Apocalypse St. John: A Version (Harl. 874) (1961) 169 (MED) Blissed he is & shal be þat haþ part of þe first resureccioun.

?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1871) III. 111 (MED) Moyses and Aaron schalle brynge furthe that arke of the testamente in the firste resurreccion [a1387 J. Trevisa tr. arisynge at þe day of dome].

1548 J. Champneys Harvest is at Hand sig. B.ii The bynding of Satan and the fyrst resurrection spoken of in the Apocalipses.

1610 H. Broughton Reuelation Holy Apocalyps (new ed.) xx. 278 The first resurrection is by faith, to be risen with Christ.

1651 T. L. Advt. to Q. Elizabeth in Πολύπενϑεος Θρηνωδία 48 That Holinesse and Newnesse of life, which the Scripture so often commendeth unto us, by the names Vivification, renovation spirituall, and the first resurrection.

1689 C. Mather Souldiers Counselled 33 You may hope to be found among the Blessed and Holy Ones, that shall have a part in the First Resurrection.

1727 J. Asgill Metamorph. Man i. 141 The two Records in the Thessalonians and Corinthians, left us as a Platform of the first Resurrection.

1769 J. Gill Body Doctrinal Divinity II. viii. 1029 All the old testament-saints, as well as new, will have a part in the first resurrection, and share in the millennium-reign.

1842 W. Miller Reply to Stuart iii. 64 The wicked, the rest of the dead, cannot be included in the first resurrection.., because those are blessed and holy.

1894 Jewish Q. Rev. 6 463 Faith and baptism and the gift of the Spirit bring about the first resurrection—that newness of life, that living with Christ.

1992 L. E. Keck in H. Obayashi Death & Afterlife ii. vi. 92 The first resurrection represents the vindication of the righteous martyrs.

first rib sign n. Medicine (now rare) (in physical diagnosis) a sign associated esp. with pericardial effusion, in which the left clavicle is elevated, allowing the upper edge of the first rib to be palpated as far as the sternum.

ΚΠ

1896 W. Ewart in Brit. Med. Jrnl. 21 Mar. 720/1 The First Rib Sign.—In all cases of considerable pericardial effusion which I have examined for this sign, it was possible to feel with the finger the upper edge of the first rib as far as its sternal attachment.

1922 A. A. Stevens Pract. Med. 703 It is possible to feel the upper edge of the first rib as far as its sternal attachment (Ewart's first rib sign).

1932 Amer. Jrnl. Surg. 17 4/2 Less constant pressure symptoms were reported too infrequently to be given percentage recognition: 1. A dry reflex cough... 8. Ewart's first rib sign.

first-round adj. of, belonging to, or designating the earliest of a series of rounds or stages into which a sporting competition, set of negotiations, selection process, etc., is divided.

ΚΠ

1879 Western Mail (Cardiff) 27 Nov. 4/3 These clubs played a first-round match at Swansea on Wednesday.

1948 Gastonia (N. Carolina) Gaz. 22 Nov. 1/2 There was no assurance that they would try to reach any sort of final conclusions in their first round talks.

1954 Life 29 Mar. 45/1 André Stil, Communist editor.., didn't win the 50% plus vote required for a first-round victory.

1989 W. Houston Inside Maple Leaf Gardens vii. 82 The Leafs sent to the Red Wings two first-round draft choices.

2002 M. Chang Holding Serve viii. 181 I don't know how, but I won my first-round match.

first run n. U.S. (a) adj. designating a film being shown for the first time or a cinema in which films are normally first shown; (b) n. the first showing or première of a film.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > film show > [noun] > first showing

first run1910

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > a film > type of film > [noun] > other types

romantic comedy1748

epic1785

pre-release1871

foreign film1899

frivol1903

dramedy1905

film loop1906

first run1910

detective film1911

colour film1912

news film1912

topical1912

cinemicrograph1913

scenic1913

sport1913

newsreel1914

serial1914

sex comedy1915

war picture1915

telefilm1919

comic1920

true crime1923

art house1925

quickie1926

turkey1927

two-reeler1928

smellie1929

disaster film1930

musical1930

feelie1931

sticky1934

action comedy1936

quota quickie1936

re-release1936

screwball comedy1937

telemovie1937

pickup1939

video film1939

actioner1940

space opera1941

telepic1944

biopic1947

kinescope1949

TV movie1949

pièce noire1951

pièce rose1951

deepie1953

misterioso1953

film noir1956

policier1956

psychodrama1956

free film1958

prequel1958

co-production1959

glossy1960

sexploiter1960

sci-fier1961

tie-in1962

chanchada1963

romcom1963

wuxia1963

chick flick1964

showreel1964

mockumentary1965

sword-and-sandal1965

schlockbuster1966

mondo1967

peplum1968

thriller1968

whydunit1968

schlocker1969

buddy-buddy movie1972

buddy-buddy film1974

buddy film1974

science-fictioner1974

screwball1974

buddy movie1975

slasher movie1975

swashbuckler1975

filmi1976

triptych1976

autobiopic1977

Britcom1977

kidflick1977

noir1977

bodice-ripper1979

chopsocky1981

date movie1983

kaiju eiga1984

screener1986

neo-noir1987

indie1990

bromance2001

hack-and-slash2002

mumblecore2005

dark fantasy2007

hack-and-slay2007

gorefest2012

kidult-

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > a film > type of film > [adjective] > other types

costumed1851

foreign language1904

first run1910

Keystone1912

photodramatic1914

serial1915

coming of age1919

edge-of-your-seat1922

psychodramatic1927

omnibus1928

straight1936

low-budget1937

no-budget1937

screwball1937

Ealing1939

blockbusting1943

private eye1946

film noir1952

white telephone1952

portmanteau1953

uncut1953

anthology1955

three-D1955

Hammer1958

noir1958

co-production1959

kitchen sink1959

kidult1960

docudrama1961

cinéma vérité1963

maudit1963

filmi1965

indie1968

triple-X1969

XXX1969

drama-documentary1970

cheapie1973

gross-out1973

high concept1973

chopsocky1974

hard R1974

buddy movie1975

sci-fi1977

mondo1979

hack-and-slash1981

microbudget1981

hack-and-slay1982

slice-and-dice1982

fly on the wall1983

psychotronic1983

noirish1985

Mad Max1986

stoner1987

bonkbusting1993

straight to DVD1997

1910 Financial Times 8 Nov. 3/3 Now the public discriminate, and require first-run films almost as soon as they are published.

1921 Moving Picture World 29 Oct. 1067/3 Vitagraph's manager..wrote contracts for first runs in twenty-eight towns.

1937 Life 1 Nov. 115/3 (caption) This Columbia Picture, which will soon be the leading offering of thousands of ‘first-run’ theatres.

1939 L. Jacobs Rise of Amer. Film iv. 53 A ‘first run’, for instance, cost the exhibitor twenty times as much as a ‘twentieth run’.

1971 It 9 Sept. 21/2 The First New York Erotic Film Festival..will be held in first-run Manhattan cinemas.

1976 D. Spoto Art of Alfred Hitchcock xxix. 291 The first time I saw Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo was in 1958, its first run.

2001 S. King Dreamcatcher Epil. 869 The movies were always first-run. The atmosphere, however, was just a teensy bit on the Dr. Strangelove side.

first school n. British Education a school for children aged between five and eight or nine years.

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society > education > place of education > school > [noun] > infant school

infant-school1824

first school1967

1967 Primary Educ. in Wales (Dept. Educ. & Sci. Central Advisory Council Educ., Wales) iv. 23 We recommend the following long-term plan for primary education: Nursery stage (part-time, voluntary)..3 to median 5:6..Infants stage (First school) Median 5:6..to median 8:6..Junior stage (Middle school) Median 8:6 to median 12:6.

1973 New Society 10 May 294/1 The eight to twelve year old middle school was first seriously discussed in the early 1960s, when it was rumoured that the Plowden committee might eventually consider a system of first schools for the five to eight year olds.

1986 Guardian 17 Feb. 6/2 The village would consent to the school becoming a first school, rather than a primary.

2003 Eastern Daily Press (Norwich) (Nexis) 16 Sept. A schooling reshuffle..which will mean closure of the first school and the transfer of its 100 pupils to the nearby middle school, which will be given primary status.

first secretary n. a person who is the most senior of those having the title of secretary; spec. (a) a senior officer on the staff of a diplomatic mission; (b) British the most senior Secretary of State in the Government; (c) the chief officer of a political party, trade union, etc.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > office > holder of office > public officials > senior or chief public officials > [noun]

first secretary1562

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > government minister > [noun] > minister in British government > types of

first secretary1562

Secretary of State1589

Minister of State1595

Minister without Portfolio1831

1562 R. Fills tr. Lawes & Statutes Geneua f. 38 All informacions shall be locked in a cheste or closet, of the whiche the first Secretarye shall haue the kaye, and in his absence the seconde.

1581 R. V. S. tr. Ioyfull Entrie Dukedome of Brabant sig. C.iiii^v Vnderneath is written, By the Emperor, & the saide Prince, & signed by the audience, and first Secretary Verricken, and this Letter was sealed with the seale of the emperor.

1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates 343 Lewis Verreycken Knight, Seigneur of Hamme, Councellor of the Councell of warre, Audiencer and first Secretarie to their Highnesses, [etc.]

1654 Earl of Monmouth tr. G. Bentivoglio Compl. Hist. Warrs Flanders x. 177 From the Queen of England Walsingam, her first Secretary.

1784 tr. ‘E. Habesci’ Present State Ottoman Empire ix. 160 The Tescheragi-Bashaw is the first secretary.

1800 London Chron. 11 Jan. 37/2 Citizen Bignon, formerly Secretary of Legation in Helvetia, to be first Secretary of Legation at Berlin.

1853 Phonetic Jrnl. 13 Aug. 258/1 The first secretary superintends the business of registration, and the second secretary keeps the Union library.

1914 Foreign Office List 160 Counsellor of Embassy, or..First Secretary at posts where the staff does not include a Counsellor.

1972 G. Fischer in A. Bromke & T. Rakowska-Harmstone Communist States in Disarray 1965–1971 viii. 176 The first secretary of the Communist Youth..is ex officio the minister for youth.

1995 Daily Tel. 7 July 26/4 The title of First Secretary then was meant to indicate what it said. There was no provision in our constitutional system for a Deputy Prime Minister, and the First Secretaryship was a convenient way of indicating who was in fact deputy to the premier.

2009 R. Dasgupta Solo 193 At last he arrives, in a party of five, accompanied by the First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party, Eduard Shevardnadze.

first sergeant n. U.S. Military the highest ranking non-commissioned officer in a company or equivalent unit.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer by rank > [noun] > sergeant-major

first sergeant1776

sergeant-major1802

company sergeant major1813

S.M.1890

top1898

top sergeant1898

major1901

RSM1913

top cutter1917

top kick1918

Sar-Major1919

top soldier1926

Sarn't-major1946

1776 Proc. Convent. Delaware State 12 That Daniel Powel Cox, First Sergeant in the said Company, be and he is hereby promoted to the Rank of Ensign in the said Company.

1847 G. J. Pillow in J. K. Polk Message from President 405 in U.S. Congr. Serial Set (30th Congr., 1st Sess.: Senate Executive Doc. 1) I First Sergeant W. Peat, of this company, who acted with extraordinary daring, lost one of his legs.

1969 I. Kemp Brit. G.I. in Vietnam vi. 117 First Sergeant Bryant, the senior N.C.O. in ‘A’ Force.

2003 A. Swofford Jarhead 47 The first sergeant sauntering out every fifteen minutes to alter my punishment.

first serve n. Tennis the first of two permitted attempts at serving; (also) a player's service delivery in this situation, considered as part of his or her repertoire of shots.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > [noun] > types of stroke

service1611

serving1688

screw1865

cut1874

cutting service1874

boast1878

first serve1878

smash1882

twister1884

cross-shot1889

lob1890

ground stroke1895

lob ball1900

twist service1901

boasting1902

cross-volley1905

get1911

chop1913

forehander1922

kick serve1925

forehand1934

touch shot1936

dink1939

net shot1961

overhead1964

groundie1967

slice1969

moonball1975

moonballing1977

1878 Stratford Times 24 July The server would, were the first serve to be treated as a simple fault, profit by his own wrong.

1969 New Yorker 14 June 61/2 He spins his first serve in more.

1994 Washington Post 19 Mar. g3/4 Missing first serves more than usual, he won points from the baseline.

2015 N. Atkins Winning over Heiress x. 103 She put everything into her first serve, and it bounced outside the line.

first shot n. (in whisky distilling) the first spirit which comes over into the condenser; = foreshot n. 2.

ΚΠ

1743 Sel. Trans. Soc. Improvers Knowl. Agric. Scotl. 289 Keep your Pipes cool the first Shot of your Spirits.

1821 A. Ure Dict. Chem. at Distillation Redistillation of the low wines..gives at first the fiery spirit called first-shot, milky and crude, from the presence of a little oil.

1840 Daily Picayune (New Orleans) 30 Aug. 2/4 O, it's illigant, Mrs Mahoney, and as strong as fust shot.

1922 L. McKay Mountains of Mourne xi. 104 It proved to be ‘First Shot’, and before all was over, poor Larkin was ‘shot’ right enough.

1992 B. Fussell Story of Corn iv. 257 When a doubling comes through the worm, the first shots are as high as 150 or 160 proof, but it gets weaker as it continues.

first sight n. (a) see at first sight at sight n.¹ 6a, love at first sight at love n.¹ Phrases 8; (b) attributive designating something occurring, made, etc., at first sight; †(c) that which is seen for the first time (obsolete).Sense (c) apparently represents an isolated use.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > sight of something > [noun] > first sight

sight1471

first sight1741

1741 S. Richardson Pamela IV. lxiii. 419 Has extraordinary Notions of a First-sight Love.

1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer iii. 48 Then your first sight deceived you; for I think him one of the most brazen first sights that ever astonished my senses.

1859 F. W. Farrar Julian Home iii. 27 Without any first-sight vows of eternal friendship.

1921 A. R. Lord Princ. Politics vi. 156 This crude, first-sight democratic theory.

2010 L. Brandt Avenging Angels (Electronic ed.) Not the first-sight kind of love, mind you.

† first-sighted adj. Obsolete occurring or made at first sight.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > sight of something > [adjective] > first sight

first-sighted1747

1747 S. Richardson Clarissa I. xl. 276 To compliment our own sagacity, in our first-sighted impressions.

1760 Voy. & Cruises Commodore Walker I. vi. 92 Their complaisance on the first acquaintance appears to be the expression of a first-sighted friendship.

1848 Intellect. Repository Jan. 13 You may easily fall into false conclusions. Such a first-sighted view is totally erroneous.

first-spear n. (in pig-sticking) the first thrust which draws blood; the person who makes this thrust.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > hunting > hunting specific animals > [noun] > pigs > first thrust

first-spear1837

the world > food and drink > hunting > hunter > hunter of specific animal > [noun] > of pigs

first-spear1837

pig hunter1837

spear1849

pigsticker1866

1837 New Sporting Mag. Aug. 122 The first spear..is entitled to the tail as well as tushes.

1898 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport II. 92 The object of the run is to kill the pig, and not entirely for getting the honour of ‘first spear’.

1920 Blackwood's Mag. Jan. 112/2 Much of the supreme joy in pig-sticking lies in the successful struggle for first-spear and in outgeneraling and outriding one's friends.

2010 T. Mason & E. Riedi Sport & Mil. ii. 72 To preserve their friendship they decide that whichever gets first spear at the Meerut Christmas meet will win the right to propose to her first.

first stomach n. [compare post-classical Latin primus stomachus (1559 or earlier), primus venter (1521 or earlier)] (in an animal with multiple stomachs or a multi-chambered stomach) the stomach into which food passes from the oesophagus, spec. the rumen of a ruminant; (in early use also) †the crop of a bird (obsolete).

ΚΠ

1595 Problemes of Aristotle sig. C^v They [sc. horned beasts] doe first conuey their meate into their first stomacke or belly, and then returne it from whence it came and chew it.

1674 R. Godfrey Var. Injuries in Physick 118 This first Stomach, (or the Crop) one of our moderns tels us may be wounded and sown up again..: but not the second or true Stomach, which is most Vital.

1791 R. Beilby Gen. Hist. Quadrupeds (ed. 2) 22 The food, after mastication, is thrown into the first stomach, where it remains for some time.

1807 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 97 97 The first stomach of the whale is not only a reservoir, but the food undergoes a considerable change in it.

1915 Bull. U.S. Dept. Agric. No. 176. 41 The only hope of destroying the alkaloid under such circumstances would be by flooding the first stomach with the antidote.

2011 J. M. Bennett Compl. Guide Grass-fed Cattle vi. 146 The first stomach, the rumen, contains organisms that break down fiber in grass.

first strike n. and adj. (a) n. a first aggressive attack with nuclear weapons; (b) adj. of or relating to such an attack; also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > attack > [noun] > first nuclear attack

first strike1956

1956 Bull. Atomic Sci. Apr. 102/1 How many carriers and nuclear weapons of the West will be destroyed by the first strike?

1960 New Left Rev. July 2/1 First-strike nuclear weapons.

1962 Listener 5 Apr. 605/2 A Russian first strike.

1969 Daily Tel. 17 Nov. 14 The most sinister aspect of Russia's nuclear expansion is her concentration on a variety of giant ‘first-strike’ weapons, designed to knock out American launchers and control centres.

2006 A. Goodman Intuition ii. iv. 73 We're going to lose our first-strike advantage... We'll have to share credit with copycats at Stanford.

2006 Foreign Affairs Mar. 44 The ability to destroy all of an adversary's nuclear forces, eliminating the possibility of a retaliatory strike, is known as a first-strike capability, or nuclear primacy.

first substance n. [after post-classical Latin substantia prima (12th cent. in British sources), itself after ancient Greek πρώτη οὐσία (Aristotle Categories).] Philosophy a distinct individual thing; = substance n. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > metaphysics > [noun] > matter or substance

substancea1398

first substance1551

subject1590

hypostasis1605

byss1649

body1651

substratum1651

support1660

general substance1697

supporter1697

substrate1730

object-subject1867

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > ancient Greek philosophy > post-Socratic philosophy > [noun] > Aristotelianism > elements of

material cause1393

matterc1395

matter subjecta1398

predicamenta1425

quality?1537

first substance1551

predicable1551

property1551

proprium1551

transcendent1581

final cause1587

category1588

habit1588

ante-predicament?1596

postpredicament1599

entelechy1603

transumption1628

secondary1656

objective cause1668

transcendental1668

general substance1697

third man1801

thought-form1834

posterioristic universal1902

ousia1917

1551 T. Wilson Rule of Reason sig. Cvj The first substance is called euery singuler persone or propre name... The second substance comprehendeth both the general worde, and the kinde also of euery singuler persone.

1697 tr. F. Burgersdijck Monitio Logica i. iv. 8 Substance is either First or Second. The First is a Singular Substance, or that which is not said of a Subject, as Alexander, Bucephalus. The Second..that which is said of a Subject, as Man, Horse.

1830 tr. Duns Scotus in S. Turner Hist. Eng. Middle Ages (ed. 3) IV. 493 Every thing which is another thing than the first substance, is either said of the first substance, or is in it.

1903 W. Turner Hist. Philos. 133 The first substance (οὐσία πρώτη) is the individual, which can neither exist in another nor be predicated of another.

2000 J. F. Wippel Metaphysical Thought of Thomas Aquinas ii. vii. 201 If I say ‘Socrates is an animal’, the predicate animal is predicated of the individual or first substance, i.e., Socrates.

first table n. the first part of the Ten Commandments, relating to religious duties (thought to have occupied the first of the two stone tablets of Moses) (cf. second table n. (a) at second adj. and n.² Compounds 1).

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > Testament > Old Testament > [noun] > Mosaic dispensation > decalogue > division of

first tablec1405

second table1502

c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Pardoner's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 311 Bihoold and se þ^t in the firste table Of heighe goddes hestes.

a1500 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (Hunterian) (1976) i. 2 (MED) Crist enformyd mor þe ȝonge ryche man in þe preceptys of þe secunde table þan of þe firste table.

1605 King James VI & I Speach in Last Session Parl. sig. B All the impieties and sins, that can be devised against both the first and second table.

1783 E. Arthur Serm. Var. Subj. 254 To all the commandments of God..they must have a sincere respect, and must obey the second, as well as the first table of the law.

1873 H. Rogers Superhuman Origin Bible i. 21 The great commands of the ‘Second Table’ are ultimately based on the relations in which all creatures stand to Him who demands our homage in the ‘First Table’.

1941 Church Hist. 10 217 The natural law is held by Luther to have been misconceived: the pagans left out of their conception of it the religious element expressed in the first table of the Commandments.

2012 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 1 Jan. (Book Review) 12 He stated that the colony's civil authorities could not regulate ‘the First Table’, those among the Ten Commandments that governed religion; they could prosecute someone for adultery, but not for making..graven images.

first-time buyer n. a buyer of property who has not previously owned a home, and therefore has no house to sell.

ΚΠ

1966 Times 18 July 15/1 It also appeals to first-time buyers so there is little hold-up of sales pending the disposal of former dwellings.

1973 Times 9 Oct. 4/4 The Building Societies Association was taken unawares by the Government's specific proposals to help first-time buyers.

1986 What Mortgage June 8/2 Two out of every five applicants for new mortgages were first time buyers.

2008 D. Lodge Deaf Sentence (2009) iv. 45 These properties..still dominate the district, interspersed with more recent post-WW2 redbrick developments—low-profile blocks of flats and tiny terraced town houses for first-time buyers.

first timer n. a person who does or is something for the first time (originally spec. a person on a first prison sentence); (also occasionally) something done for the first time or at the first attempt.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > newness or novelty > [noun] > newness, freshness, or originality > one or those who are new to something

first timer1881

new entry1896

Johnny-come-lately1943

1881 Bulletin (Sydney) 8 Oct. 9/3 In Darlinghurst..No. 1 yard contains men convicted three times or more. No. 2, twice-convicted men; No. 3, what is called ‘first-timers’.

1902 H. Hapgood Autobiogr. Thief in Frank Leslie's Pop. Monthly Oct. 592/2 Other convicts..tipped me off through the door to everything in stir which was necessary for a first-timer to know.

1921 Pop. Mech. Jan. 25 We are being deluged with first-timers, few of whom understand what America really stands for.

1944 Billboard 30 Dec. 20/3 The first-timers at a show had gotten the hang of it.

1976 Evening Post (Nottingham) 15 Dec. 15/4 (advt.) Cheery bright house, ideal for first timers.

1977 Hongkong Standard 12 Apr. 11/2 He centred to Leung Kam-fat who, from just 12 yards out, did well with his first-timer.

2005 Washington Post 25 June f1/1 Many first-timers..are buying fixer-uppers just to get into the market.

first war n. (with the, and now usually capital initials) the First World War (1914–18).

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > war > types of war > [noun] > other specific war > First World War

Great War1914

Kaiser's war1914

Kaiser Bill's war1915

First World War1918

first war1939

World War I1939

1939 Motor Boating Dec. 12/1 The British Admiralty had at least a year's warning of the second world war, but just as prior to the first war, the brass hats of the British Navy ignored the pleas of the British yachtsmen.

1967 Listener 30 Nov. 705/3 Around 1930, alienated and disaffected youth was being manufactured mainly in Germany, where the First War had produced the biggest earthquake.

2001 J. Grisham Painted House 76 Our house had been built before the First War.

first woman n. [after Italian prima donna prima donna n.] now historical = prima donna n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > singer > opera-singer > [noun] > prima donna

opera queen1747

prima donna1754

prima1768

first woman1772

prima donna assoluta1854

diva1883

1772 tr. C. F. Badini Il Carnovale di Venezia i. 19 Posa. Who lives in this house? Can. The first woman of the comic opera at the theatre, called St. Moses.

1827 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe Musical Reminisc. (ed. 2) 47 At one of the smaller theatres, however, the part of first woman in an intermezzo..was filled by a very promising singer,..who became in time one of the best first men.

1880 W. S. Rockstro in G. Grove Dict. Music II. 509/1 [In an Opera] the First Woman (Prima donna) was always a high Soprano.

1948 R. M. Myers Handel's Messiah 14 The ‘first woman’ or prima donna was always a high soprano; the ‘second woman’ and the ‘third woman’ were contraltos.

First World War n. the war which began on 28 July 1914 with hostilities between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, and ultimately involved the majority of the nations of the world, suspended by armistice on 11 November 1918.Earlier called the Great War.

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society > armed hostility > war > types of war > [noun] > other specific war > First World War

Great War1914

Kaiser's war1914

Kaiser Bill's war1915

First World War1918

first war1939

World War I1939

1889 R. B. Anderson tr. V. Rydberg Teutonic Mythol. 399 The giant-maids..took part in the first world-war on the side hostile to Odin.

1914 E. Haeckel in Indianapolis Star 27 Sept. 37/1 There is no doubt that the course and character of the feared ‘European war’..will become the first world war in the full sense of the word.]

1918 C. à C. Repington Diary 10 Sept. in First World War (1920) II. xxxvii. 391 To call it The German War was too much flattery for the Boche. I suggested The World War as a shade better title, and finally we mutually agreed to call it The First World War in order to prevent the millennium folk from forgetting that the history of the world was the history of war.

1931 S. Jameson Richer Dust xix. 552 The salvage of what a dear dead and let us piously hope well-damned colonel preferred to call the First World War.

1933 L. Stallings (title) The First World War: a photographic history.

1938 Life 28 May 2/3 As a student of, and participant in, The First World War, or Dress Rehearsal.

1958 Listener 19 June 1020/2 The outbreak of the first world war in the present century.

2011 Daily Tel. 20 Sept. 20/1 Women who, during the First World War, would approach any man who hadn't joined up and present him with a white feather.

first youth n. early youth; esp. in from, in, or past one's first youth.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > source or principle of life > age > youth > [noun]

youthc897

youngheada1300

youngthc1330

juvent1377

juventy1377

first youtha1387

youthheada1400

joyfnesc1400

junessec1430

young daysa1464

juventudec1470

younga1475

youngness?1505

flower?1507

juventute1541

prime tide1549

spring1553

April1583

springtime1583

nonage1584

prime1584

flowering youth1586

primrose1590

greenc1595

dancing-days1599

primrose-time1606

leaping timea1616

salad daysa1616

minority1632

juvenency1656

coltagec1720

youdith1723

veal-bones1785

whelphood1847

colthood1865

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1879) VII. 417 (MED) He spended his first ȝowþe in liberal artes and sciens.

a1450 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess (Tanner 346) (1871) l. 800 In my firste youth..full litil gode .I. couth.

a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1537) f. 74^v If in the fyrste youthe.., if dethe had come and knocked at the gate, ye shulde haue had cause to be sory.

a1631 J. Donne XXVI. Serm. (1661) xxiv. 354 Those whom they make up there, whom they have had from their first youth there.

1789 H. More Let. (1925) 126 She is past her first youth..and subject to caution.

1878 H. James Europeans I. i. 7 She was not pretty... Neither was she in her first youth.

1992 B. Unsworth Sacred Hunger lii. 599 Though past his first youth he was a fine runner.

2009 C. Pelling in M. Griffin Compan. to Julius Caesar xviii. 260 Seizing the absolute power he had desired from his first youth.

C2. Uses of the adverb with adjectives (mostly participial).With first-moved compare mover n.¹ 1.

first-begot adj.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > [noun] > first-born child

firstbornc1350

first-begottenc1384

first birtha1387

forbirtha1400

forthbirtha1400

primitivec1400

primogenitc1429

first-begot1551

primogeniture1596

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > relationship to parent > [adjective] > first-born

eldestc1000

first-begottenc1350

first-gottena1382

firstbornc1384

first-gendereda1398

first-kinneda1400

oldest1478

ayne1483

first-conceived1574

eigne1586

eldest-born1608

primogenit1619

first-begot1671

primogenitala1706

old1706

primogenitary1827

primogenitive1842

1551 W. Samuel Abridgemente Goddes Statutes in Myter sig. c.ii^v The swete bread feast w^t fyrst begote and saboth daye is tolde The first frutes Moises hard exprest whose face dyd shyne lyke golde.

1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd i. 89 His first-begot we know.

1700 J. Oldmixon Grove iv. 28 I ne're could humane rage repel, But by the Monsters fury fell, Which often does her first begot, and darling Sons devour.

a1901 F. W. H. Myers Coll. Poems (1921) 385 See first-begot from Nought and Night The gathering swarms, the flamy gale!

first-built adj.

ΚΠ

1612 J. Donne Second Anniuersarie 17 in First Anniuersarie No stubborne sullen Anchorit,..Beddded [sic] and Bath'd in all his Ordures, dwels So fowly as our soules, in their first-built Cels.

1887 C. Bowen tr. Virgil Æneid iii, in tr. Virgil in Eng. Verse 150 I..Found my first-built walls in an evil hour on the shore.

2012 J. Alig & S. Kilmer East vs West Showdown 48/1 Dr. Atol from Pasadena, California, is 85 years young and still runs his first-built gow-job from 1945.

first-conceived adj.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > relationship to parent > [adjective] > first-born

eldestc1000

first-begottenc1350

first-gottena1382

firstbornc1384

first-gendereda1398

first-kinneda1400

oldest1478

ayne1483

first-conceived1574

eigne1586

eldest-born1608

primogenit1619

first-begot1671

primogenitala1706

old1706

primogenitary1827

primogenitive1842

1574 T. Tymme tr. J. de Serres Three Partes Comm. Ciuill Warres Fraunce ii. 117 There is no greater force than the first conceyued opinion of Religion, whether y^e same be good or euill.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) iii. ii. 44 The first-conceiued sound.

1787 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 971/2 Yet even Milton is not always on his guard in appropriating his language to the first-conceived image.

2002 Goya: Images of Women (Catal. Exhib. National Gallery of Art, Washington) 258 The first conceived themes of the Caprichos.

first-created adj.

ΚΠ

1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum First created, protoplastes.

1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 83 O first created Beam.

1999 S. Rushdie Ground beneath her Feet (2000) ii. 26 The First-Created Man, Gayomart, had indeed been killed by Angra Mainyu long ago.

† first-done adj. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum First done or spedde, præuersus.

† first-endeavouring adj. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1673 J. Milton At Vacation Exercise in Poems (new ed.) 64 Hail native Language, that by sinews weak Didst move my first endeavouring tongue to speak.

1820 J. Keats Hyperion: a Fragm. ii, in Lamia & Other Poems 177 Murmurs, which his first-endeavouring tongue Caught infant-like from the far-foamed sands.

† first-famed adj. Obsolete

ΚΠ

a1754 W. Hamilton Maid of Gallowshiels i, in Poems & Songs (1850) 24 The first famed author of our ancient race Was Colin hight.

1859 Ld. Tennyson Guinevere in Idylls of King 242 The two first-famed for courtesy.

first-formed adj.

ΚΠ

1496 J. Alcock Mons Perfeccionis (de Worde) sig. bv Our fyrst fourmed faders.

1874 C. Darwin in Life & Lett. (1887) III. 194 I have found first-formed theories erroneous.

1993 E. N. K. Clarkson Invertebr. Palaeontol. & Evol. (ed. 3) vii. 155/1 Each grows from the first-formed part.

first-found adj.

ΚΠ

1594 T. Blundeville Exercises ii. f. 50^v So shall you haue the first found number.

1854 H. Miller My Schools & Schoolmasters viii. 77 In a nodular mass of bluish-gray limestone..I laid open my first-found ammonite.

2007 S. Pitina & P. Prudovsky tr. E. E. Kuz'mina Origins of Indo-Iranians iv. xxvi. 360 It is a common tradition in archeology to name a culture or a type after the first-found complex.

† first-framed adj. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1565 B. Googe tr. ‘M. Palingenius’ Zodiake of Life (new ed.) vii. sig. X.viii This same first framed world doth passe the world that senses see.

1631 Earl of Manchester Contemplatio Mortis 10 Our first framed father Adam.

† first-gendered adj. [after post-classical Latin primogenitus, adjective and noun (see primogenit n. and adj.)] Obsolete

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > relationship to parent > [adjective] > first-born

eldestc1000

first-begottenc1350

first-gottena1382

firstbornc1384

first-gendereda1398

first-kinneda1400

oldest1478

ayne1483

first-conceived1574

eigne1586

eldest-born1608

primogenit1619

first-begot1671

primogenitala1706

old1706

primogenitary1827

primogenitive1842

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. viii. xxviii. 509 Þis is þe firste gendrid [L. primogenita] liȝt þat was imaad þe firste day.

a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Psalms civ. 36 He killide ech the firste gendrid thing [L. primogenitum] in the lond of hem.

† first-gotten adj. [after post-classical Latin primogenitus, adjective and noun (see primogenit n. and adj.); compare first-begotten adj.] Obsolete

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > relationship to parent > [adjective] > first-born

eldestc1000

first-begottenc1350

first-gottena1382

firstbornc1384

first-gendereda1398

first-kinneda1400

oldest1478

ayne1483

first-conceived1574

eigne1586

eldest-born1608

primogenit1619

first-begot1671

primogenitala1706

old1706

primogenitary1827

primogenitive1842

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Psalms civ. 36 He smot alle the firste goten [L. primogenitum] in the lond of hem.

c1430 N. Love Mirror Blessed Life (Brasenose e.9) (1908) 50 Whan the fader of heuene brouȝte his first goten [a1450 Yale geten] sone in to this worlde.

1659 W. Hicks Ἀποκάλυψις Ἀποκάλυψεως (Rev. i. 5) 21 Christ is here called the first-gotten of the dead.

first-grown adj.

ΚΠ

1582 R. Robinson tr. J. Leland Learned Assertion Life Prince Arthure x. f. 19 An other Achilles Arthure was, whose first growne grace, through out his table rounde Him Phrigius made as of a Branch with fruites which doth a bound.

1859 T. W. Field Pear Culture 50 In the fall, pear seedlings must always be removed, and the first grown and best rooted selected for the nursery rows, to be budded the next summer.

2007 Farmers Weekly (Nexis) 19 Oct. Agronomic measurements taken during the trials may give some clues to why first-grown oilseed rape is more successful.

first-intended adj.

ΚΠ

1581 W. Allen Apol. Two Eng. Colleges iii. f. 24^v The first intended and most certaine fruite therof (ouer and aboue the prouision for the time to come) being, to saue..soules.

1785 J. Phillips Treat. Inland Navigation 47 900l. less than the first-intended expence.

2010 M. H. Oermann & J. C. Hays Writing for Publ. in Nursing (ed. 2) 132 The author needs to choose a journal that would provide an avenue for publishing the first intended manuscript.

† first-invented adj. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1570 J. God Disc. Great Crueltie of Widowe sig. E.v^v I am the wight that tyde your tongue, now let me loose the same: And for the first inuented wrong, no more repute the blame.

1827 G. Higgins Celtic Druids 35 The first invented letters.

first-known adj.

ΚΠ

1567 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. ii. xii. 230 The Firste knowen Diuisers, & Authours of it, were the olde Heretiques called the Manichees.

1684 T. Goddard Plato's Demon 178 So sure it is, that the first known Governments upon earth were Monarchical.

1822 London Lit. Gaz. 4 May 281/1 The terrific convulsions of the elements at the first known eruption of the Vesuvius.

1929 H. W. Haggard Devils, Drugs, & Doctors x. 242 The first known outbreak of syphilis in the Colonies occurred in Boston in 1646.

2002 Mandala Mar. 90/2 King Udrayana, who lived during Shakyamuni Buddha's time, created the first known image of Buddha.

† first-made adj. Obsolete

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > [adjective] > created or produced > first- or last-created

first-made1538

last-made1607

1538 T. Elyot Dict. at Protopages Firste made or wrought.

1630 M. Drayton Noahs Floud in Muses Elizium 94 The earthly heauen, where he had plac't, That first-made man.

first-mentioned adj.

ΚΠ

1594 J. Smythe Certen Instr. Militarie 138 This kind of skirmishing in so great troupes doth resemble the first mentioned skirmishing.

1755 T. Hitt Treat. Fruit-trees ii. 5 It will be proper of the first mentioned drains, whether they are pleasure grounds, kitchen gardens, or orchards.

1877 J. D. Chambers Divine Worship Eng. 390 The first-mentioned formularies are the more ancient.

1995 C. Nielsen Animal Evol. xxix. 238 Some authors..unite the two first-mentioned classes in the group Eurotatoria, while others..unite the two last-mentioned classes in the group Digononta.

first-moved adj.

ΚΠ

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. cxxi The dukes..liked and approued, the first argument, & first moued reason.

1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 330 The First-mou'd-Heau'n..Raps with his course..All th' other Spheares.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 483 That Crystalline Sphear whose ballance weighs The Trepidation talkt, and that first mov'd .

1696 J. Sergeant Method to Sci. iii. x. 368 A Created Intelligent Being Causes, and all along, Continues, the Motion of the first-moved Bodies, which move the rest.

1737 A. Baxter Enq. Nature Human Soul (ed. 2) I. 164 We must say that the whole force exerted, is impressed by it immediately on the first moved part.

1990 R. Wardy Chain of Change 100 Therefore the first moved mover must be moved by an unmoved mover.

first-named adj.

ΚΠ

1581 T. Sampson Briefe Coll. Church 16 Often times these two last things do not so fully apeare..as they ought to doe; therefore we doe rest our selues vpon the two first named markes.

1838 C. Dickens Oliver Twist I. xviii. 296 The first-named young gentleman.

2002 Times 18 Jan. ii. 22/4 The first-named petitioners had instituted proceedings in England against, inter alia, the company, in which averments of negligence and breach of contract had been made.

first-ripe adj.

ΚΠ

1530 Bible (Tyndale) Lev. ii. f. iii^v Offer the meatofferynge of thy firstrype frutes.

1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. C2 In Latine Præcocia, or Præmatura. Id est. Soone ripe, or first ripe.

1611 Bible (King James) Num. xiii. 20 Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.

1866 P. Fairbairn Imperial Bible-Dictionary I. 591/1 A feeling that the first-ripe portions were the best of the crop, and that these belonged to the gods.

1989 K. E. McVey tr. St. Ephraem Syrus Hymns 363 By desire she plucked the fruit that also was first-ripe.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2014; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	first
释义	firstn.¹ Brit. /fəːst/, U.S. /fərst/ Forms: early Old English fierst, early Old English firt (transmission error), Old English frist (perhaps transmission error), Old English fyrst, Old English–Middle English (1500s Scottish) (1800s– English regional) first, early Middle English virste (south-west midlands), early Middle English wirst (south-west midlands), Middle English ferst, Middle English firste, 1800s– vuss (English regional (Somerset)). Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Old Dutch first top, peak, ridge of a roof (Middle Dutch verste , Dutch †verste ), Old Saxon first ridge of a roof (Middle Low German verst , verste ridge of a roof, roof beam, gable, top floor), Old High German first ridge, summit, peak (Middle High German virst top, peak, summit, ridge of a roof, German First top edge of a roof, ridge beam), and further (from a different ablaut variant of the same base) with Middle Dutch vorst , vorste (Dutch vorst ), Middle Low German vorst , in similar senses, probably < the same Indo-European base as classical Latin postis doorpost (see post n.¹) and probably also Sanskrit pṛṣṭa back, ridge, top.In later use in compounds perhaps partly reinterpreted as showing first adj. English regional (western) in later use. Now rare. †1. An inner roof; a ceiling, esp. a panelled one. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > roof > ceiling > [noun] roofeOE firstOE first-roofOE silour1424 siling1483 ceiling1535 loftingc1540 loft1596 floor1600 plafond1664 top1709 ceil1840 planchment1874 laquearia1922 overhead1942 society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > framework of building > [noun] > roof-beam > rafter > ridge-pole firstOE first-roofOE rigging tree1589 ridge piece1611 ridge tree1649 ridge pole1657 pole piece1901 OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xiv. 147 Efne ða tobærst þæs temples wahryft, fram ðære fyrste ufan oð ða flor neoðan. OE Antwerp-London Gloss. (2011) 65 Laquear, fyrst. a1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 47 (MED) Þin hus is sone ibuld þer þu salt wonien inne, Boþe þe wirst [c1275 Calig. firste, a1300 Jesus Oxf. virste] & þe rouf sal liggen uppon þin chinne. a1400 Siege Jerusalem (Laud) (1932) l. 831 Frosletes fro þe ferst to þe flor þrylled & many toret doun tilte. 2. The ridge piece of a roof; = first-piece n. at Compounds. ΚΠ OE Byrhtferð Enchiridion (Ashm.) (1995) iii. i. 128 Man..þa beamas gelegð and þa ræftras to þære fyrste gefæstnað and mid cantlum underwriðað. 1378 in W. H. D. Longstaffe & J. Booth Halmota Prioratus Dunelmensis (1889) 149 In manu Johannis fil. Gilberti x spars et j first, et in gardino præd. Thomæ sunt v ribs et firsts. 1548 in R. Renwick Extracts Rec. Stirling (1887) I. 52 The said tenement..standand sufficiently in gret tymmer, sic as seylle, pan, and first. 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. Vuss, in building—the ridge piece, or piece to which the rafters are fixed at the apex of the roof. ‘Plase to mind and zend on a piece for a vuss.’ Compounds first-piece n. the ridge piece of a roof; = sense 2. ΚΠ 1811 Repertory Arts, Manuf., & Agric. 19 133 Make and cast in that part of the roof which is usually called the ridge piece or pole, or first piece,..a ridge, which projects two or three inches over the top of the slate. 1884 R. Holland Gloss. Words County of Chester (1886) First-piece, the ridge piece of roof timbers, against which the upper ends of the spars are placed. 1887 Dict. Archit. (Archit. Publ. Soc.) Ridge piece..called ‘first-piece’ in Lancashire. first-pole n. rare = first-piece n. ΚΠ 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropshire Word-bk. First-pole, the ridge piece of the roof-timbers.—Clun. † first-roof n. Obsolete apparently = sense 1. ΚΠ OE Aldhelm Glosses (Brussels 1650) in L. Goossens Old Eng. Glosses of MS Brussels, Royal Libr. 1650 (1974) 326 Tigillo : pars pro toto, hrofe, cella, [left margin] on fyrstrofe, [over lemma] tigno, [right margin] Tigillum hrof. † first-tree n. Obsolete = first-piece n. ΚΠ c1350 Nominale (Cambr. Ee.4.20) in Trans. Philol. Soc. (1906) 14* Cumble heez et cheueroun, Roof firstre and sparre. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022). firstadj.adv.n.² Brit. /fəːst/, U.S. /fərst/ Forms: α. Old English fyrest (rare), Old English–1600s fyrst, late Old English– first, early Middle English firest (south-east midlands), early Middle English firrst ( Ormulum), early Middle English syst (transmission error), early Middle English veorst (south-western), Middle English feirst (northern), Middle English ferest (northern), Middle English ferste (chiefly south-eastern), Middle English fferste, Middle English firist, Middle English uerst (southern), Middle English uurst (south-west midlands), Middle English verst (southern), Middle English virst (south-west midlands), Middle English virste (south-west midlands), Middle English vorst (south-western), Middle English (chiefly south-eastern) 1500s–1600s ferst, Middle English (south-western) 1600s (Irish English) forst, Middle English (south-west midlands) 1800s (Irish English (Wexford)) vurst, Middle English–1500s ffurst, Middle English–1500s ffyrst, Middle English–1600s ffirst, Middle English–1600s firste, Middle English–1600s furste, Middle English–1600s fyrste, Middle English–1600s (1900s– Irish English (northern)) furst, 1500s fereste, 1500s fferst, 1500s ffurste, 1500s firs, 1500s fiste, 1500s fourst, 1500s–1700s fust, 1600s fuirst (Irish English), 1800s vursth (Irish English (Wexford)); English regional 1700s vurst (southern), 1800s– fosst (Yorkshire), 1800s– fost (northern), 1800s– furst, 1800s– fust (southern), 1800s– vust (Berkshire); Scottish pre-1700 fairst, pre-1700 firste, pre-1700 fyrst, pre-1700 fyrste, pre-1700 1700s ferst, pre-1700 1700s– first, pre-1700 1700s– furst, 1700s fist, 1800s fisst, 1900s– firs; N.E.D. (1896) also records a form Middle English ferist. β. Middle English ffryst, Middle English frest, Middle English freste, Middle English friste, Middle English frost, Middle English fruste, Middle English fryst, Middle English–1500s fryste, Middle English–1600s frist, 1500s fruist; Scottish pre-1700 frest, pre-1700 frist, pre-1700 fryst. Also represented by the abbreviations 1st, 1^st. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymon: Saxon furisto. Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian ferost , ferist , ferst (adjective), ferest , fērst (adjective and adverb), Middle Dutch vorst (adjective and adverb; Dutch voorst ), Old Saxon furisto (adjective; Middle Low German vȫrste , vȫreste ), Old High German furist (adjective and adverb), furisto (adjective), Old Icelandic fyrstr (adjective), fyrst (adverb), Old Swedish fyrster (adjective; Swedish förste ), Old Danish fyrste , første , furste (adjective) (Danish første ) < the Germanic base of fore adv. + the Germanic base of -est suffix. Compare forme adj.¹, foremost adj. and adv. Corresponding comparative forms. Compare the corresponding comparative forms (compare -er suffix³) Middle Low German vȫrer (adverb), Old High German furiro (adjective), Old Icelandic fyrri (adjective), fyrr (adverb). History of use as ordinal of ‘one’. Most of the Indo-European languages had no regularly-formed ordinal of the number one, and in many of them, this function is performed by words derived from the base of fore adv., chiefly with the addition of superlative suffixes. Compare e.g. Sanskrit prathama , Old Church Slavonic prŭvŭ , Old Russian p′rv′′ , ancient Greek πρῶτος , πρώτιστος , classical Latin prīmus . In Old English the ordinal of ‘one’ was expressed by adjectival superlative forms derived from bases meaning ‘early’ or ‘front’: compare Old English forma forme adj.¹, from the same base as the present word (apparently originally meaning ‘front’) but with a different superlative suffix ( < the same Indo-European base as classical Latin -mō -mo suffix), and compare also (with further addition of -est suffix) fyrmest , formest (see foremost adj. and foremost adv.); compare also, from a different base with the core meaning ‘early’, ærest erst adj., cognates of which are the usual ordinals of ‘one’ in other West Germanic languages (compare forms cited at erst adj.). The adjective fyrest , although apparently a regularly formed superlative, is rare before late Old English, and it is uncertain whether it could function as an ordinal in early use. Use with reference to position (compare sense A. 2a) may be early, if the word was already present in the lost early Kentish original of the passage from which quot. lOE at sense A. 2a is taken. Otherwise, use with reference to rank (compare sense A. 1a) is attested earliest, although these early attestations tend to be problematic. Thus quot. eOE at sense A. 1a shows otherwise unconfirmed transmission in an early modern transcript, quot. OE¹ at sense A. 1a shows a probable attestation in a crux in a frequently difficult poem, and it has been suggested that quot. OE² at sense A. 1a may reflect Scandinavian influence, as it ultimately goes back to an oral account by a traveller from Norway. Perhaps the word was more current in varieties of Old English that are not well attested, such as Mercian; compare its early use as ordinal in the Peterborough Chronicle (see sense A. 3a). With the spread of the use of the word as ordinal compare the converse tendency of foremost adj. to become associated more closely again with its cognate fore adv., both formally and semantically. Form history. The Old English form fyrest (see α. forms) shows i-mutation of the stem vowel u of the inherited base caused by the original vowel of the suffix (compare discussion at -est suffix); the modern English standard form shows the regular east midland and northern reflex of the mutated vowel. Syncope of the vowel of the second syllable (as in Old English fyrst ) was probably extended analogically from inflected forms of the adjective. The adverb is formally identically with the uninflected form of the adjective already in Old English. The β. forms show metathesis of r. Use as noun. There appears to be no trace in English of the use as noun in the sense ‘leader, prince’ that is shown by Old Dutch furisto (Middle Dutch vorste, vorst, Dutch vorst), Old Saxon furisto (Middle Low German vörste, vürste), Old High German furisto (Middle High German vürste, German Fürst), unless it is shown by the place name Fristesfeld, Wiltshire (1086; name of a lost estate surviving as the name of Frustfield Hundred). A. adj. That is before all others; earliest in time or serial order, foremost in position, rank, or importance. Frequently as a numeral adjective, the ordinal of one adj., n., and pron. (written 1st). 1. a. Preceding all others in status, rank, importance, or excellence; that comes at the beginning of a series arranged in order of rank or estimation; foremost, highest.Now rarely with reference to social status; with reference to rank, now mainly in official titles (as first officer n., first minister n., first magistrate n. at Compounds 1b(b)); otherwise chiefly with admixture of senses A. 3 or A. 4.The sense of quot. OE¹ is much disputed. It may alternatively show sense A. 4a; interpretation as an adverb and even emendation as a transmission error have also been suggested. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > pre-eminence > [adjective] firsteOE headOE highOE greatc1350 upperestc1374 chief1377 singular1377 principala1382 royalc1425 cardinal1440 pre-eminenta1460 praisea1475 main1480 maina1525 primary1565 captain1566 arch1574 mistressa1586 capital1597 topless1609 primea1616 metropolitan1635 transeminent1660 whole1675 uppermost1680 primus inter pares1688 topping1694 Sudder1787 par excellence1839 banner1840 primatial1892 eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Tiber.) (Junius transcript) (1871) xiv. 81 Hu se lareow sceal beon on his weorcum fyrest [Hatton fyrmest]. OE Exodus 399 Adfyr onbran; fyrst ferhðbana no þy fægra [perh. read fægenra] wæs. OE Acct. Voy. Ohthere & Wulfstan in tr. Orosius Hist. (Tiber.) (1980) i. i. 15 He wæs mid þæm fyrstum mannum on þæm lande. c1175 Ælfric Lives of Saints (Bodl.) (Dict. Old Eng. transcript) (1900) II. 316 On þam floten wæron ða fyrstan [OE Julius fyrmestan] heafodmen Hinguar & Hubba. c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 7475 Þe kynges first conseiler. c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Prioress's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 106 Oure firste foo, the Serpent Sathanas. 1548 W. Patten Exped. Scotl. sig. H.iiij It was counted for the fyrst parte of medecine, too haue it [sc. the finger] quite cut awaye. 1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa i. ii. 37 The Apostles were all first, and all last, without any difference of priority. 1720 J. Ozell et al. tr. R. A. de Vertot Hist. Revol. Rom. Republic II. xiv. 346 Courage, a General's first Quality. 1737 S. Whatley tr. K. L. von Pöllnitz Mem. I. xxvi. 415 Apollonia actually passes for the finest Singer, and Anna-Maria's for the first Violin in Italy. 1770 J. Langhorne & W. Langhorne tr. Plutarch Lives IV. 63 Eumenes..raised himself to the first military employments. 1798 Anti-Jacobin 11 June 243/1 The Song of Rogero..is admitted on all hands to be in the very first taste. 1821 W. Taylor in Monthly Rev. 95 538 Fruit and vegetables, articles of the first necessity at Naples. 1837 H. Martineau Society in Amer. III. 30 I was told a great deal about ‘the first people in Boston’. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 370 There were coffee houses where the first medical men might be consulted. 1901 Anaconda (Montana) Standard 1 Apr. 9/2 I became the first comedian of the Walnut Street company. 1926 A. Bennett Lord Raingo xix Just like her! She would put last things first. 1959 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Arts July in J. Summerson Unromantic Castle (1990) vi. 109 A Thames-side villa of the very first importance was, of course, Lord Burlington's at Chiswick. 1991 A. Roddick Body & Soul xi. 239 The supposition that the first duty of business was to look after Number One. b. Music. (a) In a piece of music: designating the highest or chief of two or more parts for the same instrument or voice; (also) designating an instrumentalist, singer, or section of an ensemble performing this part. (b) In an orchestra, company, etc.: designating the principal player or singer of a given instrument or voice.Frequently used metonymically, with the instrument, voice, or part denoting the performer.to play first fiddle, violin: see the nouns. ΚΠ 1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes i. f. 87^v The maister chauntres that sette the kaye, or take the first parte of a song to begynne it in a quiere. 1608 B. Jonson Masque of Beautie sig. E2, in Characters Two Royall Masques The Musique, appointed to celebrate them, shew'd it could be silent no longer: but by the first Tenor, admir'd them thus. 1659 C. Simpson Division-violist ii. 48 Them that Play on the Viols..I will distinguish by..B. for First Basse, and C. for the Second. 1760 Gentleman's & London Mag. June 309/1 Cardinal Ottoboni..kept a band..in which the celebrated Corelli played the first violin. 1786 T. Busby Compl. Dict. Music Primo (Ital.). First: as Primo Violono [sic], first violin; Primo Flauto, first flute. 1826 Q. Mus. Mag. & Rev. 8 482 The subject is given, inverted by the first violin, answered in its proper intervals by the violoncello. 1884 Manch. Examiner 19 Feb. 5/2 The plaintiff..was engaged as first tenor at the Comedy Theatre. 1889 Cent. Dict. Concert-master, the first violinist of an orchestra; the leader. 1937 G. Goodwin White Farm & other Stories i. 39 His father was first violin in the local musical society. 1994 T. Libbey NPR Guide to building Classical CD Coll. iii. 336 Mozart pulled out his viola as well, and the two friends took turns playing the first part. 2007 Church Times 26 Oct. 14/4 The first basses (I'm a first bass) come soaring in loudly as they can..over four brass orchestras and 20 timpani. c. Designating the winning or leading person, team, etc., or the winning or leading position, in a contest or competition. ΚΠ 1832 Libr. of Fine Arts Sept. 143 Strain every nerve to be first in the race. 1847 Bell's Life in London 1 Aug. 3/4 Archery... Miss Lambart and Miss Radcliff, as usual, maintained the first place in the competition for the prizes. 1891 Pall Mall Gaz. 1 Oct. 1/1 Cycling..an exciting struggle at top speed resulted in A. C. Edwards just pipping A. T. Mole for first place. 1927 Irish Times 4 Aug. 8/3 Miss Culwick's Dublin choir won the..prizes in the competitions for ladies' choirs... A Dublin trio was first in the contest for trios. 1952 Motor Boating Aug. 108/2 The alert Lenk swung into the proper harbor and roared over the finish line in first spot. 1984 Times 28 Sept. 21/5 Skelton's early lead on Everest Radius was quickly overtaken by Pyrah, who then remained in first place until Skelton reappeared. 1998 Muscle News No. 33. 13/2 Just squeaking in first position was Denise Nevin. 2007 D. S. Wilson Evol. for Everyone xxiii. 174 Matt..was captain of his football team and took first place at the New York State Powerlifting Championships. d. Sport. Designating the team made up of the best players available to a club, county, school, etc., and representing it at the highest level of competition. Also in extended use. Cf. reserve adj. 3.Frequently followed by the number of players making up a team in the sport in question, as first eleven (esp. in cricket), first fifteen (in rugby union), first eight (in rowing), etc. ΚΠ 1836 New Sporting Mag. July 200 The first eleven of the University [Cricket] Club against the next nine, with Messrs. Fenner and Caldecourt. 1877 Newtonian Nov. 91 Their [sc. Jesus College's] first boat last year was as good as the 'Varsity. 1879 Boy's Own Paper 18 Jan. 1/3 I..was despairing of ever rising to win my ‘first fifteen cap’. 1898 R. Kipling Day's Work 391 In the black jersey..of the First Fifteen, the new match-ball under his arm. 1919 N.Y. Times 23 Dec. 11 A snappy signal session of fifteen minutes ensued, with Murray quarter-backing the first team. 1944 Fortune Mar. 122/1 The Anglo-American ‘first team’ is in London—Eisenhower, Tedder, and Montgomery. 1963 Times 17 Apr. 3/1 P. K. Thomas, a consistent run-scorer in the Colts, is expected to mature with the first XI experience. 1999 Regatta Feb. 9/3 The Stewards' view is that Henley should provide an event for the first eights of as many schools as possible. 2008 J. O. Coffey & B. Wood 100 Years 99 Enoka was..the head boy and first XV captain at Christchurch Technical College. 2. a. Of something at rest or in motion: foremost or most advanced in position.In quot. lOE (in a late copy of a 7th-cent. legal code) designating the front teeth. Since Middle English applied to the foremost of a series of things, and now largely merged with sense A. 3. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > front > [adjective] furtherc1000 foremostc1275 formerc1384 farther1398 fornec1440 fore?a1513 forme1523 anterior1611 first1647 head1691 vanward1820 leading1825 forwardmost1834 the world > movement > progressive motion > order of movement > going first or in front > [adjective] foregoing1530 headmost1592 beginning1609 first1647 previous1658 forehand1664 leading1771 lead1846 vanmost1865 front flight1899 lOE Laws of Æðelberht (Rochester) li. 6 Æt þam feower toðum fyrestum, æt gehwylcum vi scillingas. c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1978) l. 11878 Riden..heredringes, in þan forste [c1275 Calig. feoremeste] flocke fourti hondred. c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 1996 Sendeþ..Airchillaus in þe first ward. a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Merlin (1932) III. l. 27487 A Kynges baner..Euere jn the ferste front scholde hit be. a1500 (?c1450) Merlin (1899) xviii. 293 While thei spake thus to-geder approched the cariage of the roche and weren in the firste fronte xxml of hem that sholde it conditen, and xxml in the taile after. 1597 E. Hoby tr. B. de Mendoza Theorique & Practise Warre 68 To close vp the first horse, can not be done without danger. 1647 R. Stapleton tr. Juvenal Sixteen Satyrs 218 The first-file of orators. 1657 J. Davies tr. H. D'Urfé Astrea I. 178 Five or six came galloping up with all their fury, and he having run his sword into the first Horse, it broke at the very hilt. 1710 R. Steele Tatler No. 130. ⁋12 They shall have a Place kept for them in the first Row of the Middle Gallery. 1797 C. Smith Let. 25 Apr. (2003) 267 The trees..on the left margin in the first distance are very shelly, not to say wiggy. 1847 ‘A Bengali’ Notes on Cape Good Hope 76 A little Hottentot boy or ‘voor-loopa’ usually leads the first pair. 1859 F. C. L. Wraxall tr. J. E. Robert-Houdin Mem. I. iv. 55 He..installed me on the first row of seats, grandly denominated ‘the stalls’. 1926 E. Hemingway Sun also Rises xv. 167 I had taken six seats..three of them were barreras, the first row at the ringside. 1990 S. Johnson Flying Lessons xiv. 106 Sitting spick and span in the first pew, their hymn books neatly on their laps. b. As the second element in adverbial phrases describing motion with a specified part in front, as feet first. Cf. foremost adj. 3d.face-, head, nose, tail-first: see the first element. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > front > at or in (the) front [phrase] > with specific part in front head, end, stern, etc. foremost1697 feet first1780 1627 J. Speed Prospect most Famovs Parts World 35/1 When they had once tried their strength, and found their Forces sufficient in behalfe of others, they..turned head first upon their pay-masters. 1780 Proc. Old Bailey 6 Dec. 36/1 We got her out with difficulty; she had got in feet first. 1820 W. Scoresby Acct. Arctic Regions I. 401 A violent storm of wind dashed her..stern first, against a floe of ice. 1888 H. Palmer in Outing Nov. 164/1 He will plunge head first, or feet first, for the bag. 1989 ‘C. Roman’ Foreplay ix. 109 She falls arse first in the garbage pail. 2005 C. Cleave Incendiary 221 I went in feet first and I went very far down. 3. a. Preceding all others in a series, succession, order, set, or enumeration. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being the best > [adjective] highestOE bestOE firstlOE greatest?c1225 of the besta1350 premiera1500 paramount1530 supremec1550 supreme1571 primer1589 top1647 nulli secundus1742 bestest1751 first class1819 beatemest1831 par excellence1839 première1844 first rate1853 beatenest1860 blue ribbon1860 optimum1885 optimal1890 class A1906 all-star1908 grade A1911 five-star1931 mostest1936 tip-topmost1937 the end1950 the most1953 the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > succession or following in time > [adjective] > preceding others in a succession firstlOE the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adjective] erstOE foremostc1000 firstlOE onec1384 firstmosta1400 primec1429 firstena1600 fust1851 the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > preceding or following in order > [adjective] > preceding in order > first in order erstOE foremostc1000 firstlOE lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 963 Sancte Dunstan him gehalgod to biscop on þe fyrste Sunnondæg of Aduent. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 16434 Þe firrste staff iss nemmnedd .a. Onn ure latin spæche. ?c1335 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 115 Of þe x commandemens..Þe first comondement is þis: O god we ssul honuri. a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 11 We seie is hoot in þe firste degree, þat is I-heet of kyndely heete. 1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope ii. Proem A fable whiche is the fyrst and formost of this second book. a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. lxviii. f. xxv In the firste Chapitre of the .ix. tytle of his werke called S[umma] Antonini. 1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. L5 He maketh Quaile the first dish of the first course. 1600 Abp. G. Abbot Expos. Prophet Ionah iv. 78 Each man marked his lot, and put it into the helmet of Agamemnon. The first turne fell to Aiax. 1670 Lady M. Bertie in 12th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1890) App. v. 22 The second part..is then the first time acted. 1716 M. Hole Pract. Disc. Liturgy Church of Eng. I. liv. 424 The first Hymn appointed to be said or sung after the Second Lesson of the Evening-Service. 1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer ii. 23 The first blow is half the battle. 1827 T. Jarman Powell's Ess. Learning of Devises (ed. 3) II. 291 The testator had a first marriage in contemplation. 1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam lxxxiii. 122 First love, first friendship, equal powers That marry with the virgin heart. View more context for this quotation 1871 A. A. Lyne Midshipmen's Trip Jerusalem iv. 24 I..took the first turning on the left, Christian Street, and went to the Turkish baths there. 1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles III. xviii. 228 Mr. Clare the elder, whose first wife had died and left him a daughter, married a second late in life. 1927 E. V. Gordon Introd. Old Norse 161 The first letter of each rune-name gives the value of the rune. 1965 A. L. Rowse Diary 24 Nov. (2003) 358 He certainly was pretty wary, no pitfalls for him (always excepting that first marriage). 1995 For Him Mag. Sept. 71/1 I sat down and wrote the first draft quite quickly, having had the ideas bubbling around in my head for probably a couple of years. 2008 Independent 16 Aug. (Mag.) 49/1 As the first dish arrived, a crisp, golden dome of masala dosa.., it was clear that this was the real deal. b. With the (or occasionally a demonstrative determiner) and a cardinal numeral, designating a number of items that precede all the others. Cf. two adj. 1b. (a) Preceding the cardinal numeral.Always the more usual order with numerals higher than 4. Between 1500 and 1800, with numerals up to 4, somewhat less frequent than the order at sense A. 3b(b). The statement of N.E.D. (1896) that ‘for numbers up to 3 or 4 many writers use it only when the number specified is viewed as a collective unity contrasted with the second or some succeeding 2, 3, or 4 in the series’ is difficult to establish from the evidence. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adjective] > first in numerical order firsta1325 the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > preceding or following in order > [adjective] > preceding in order > first in order > with cardinal numbers firsta1325 a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2131 Ðo .vij. ger, ben get to cumen.., And .vij. oðere sulen after ben... Al ðat ðise first .vij. maken Sulen ðis oðere vii. rospen & raken. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. ii. 896 Þe firste tweyne nedeþ to generacioun of þe plaunte. ?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 152, in Middle Eng. Dict. at Prune Þou schalt diete þe pacient þe firste þre dayes..wiþ water of barlye and of prunes. 1439 in Collectanea Topographica & Genealogica (1838) V. 14 That he shuld haue tho CC marc payid to him withinne ye firste iiij yere. ?1521 J. Fisher Serm. agayn Luther sig. Aiij The fyrst .iij. instruccyons..shall vndermyne .iij. great groundes, wher vpon Martyn dothe stable in maner all his articles. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement Introd. p. xvii Any of the fyrst thre vowels A, E or O. 1592 H. Broughton Apol. in Briefe Assertions To Rdr. sig. A^v From the end of the Babylonian captiuitie, the first seauen must be reckoned: and the last hath in it our Lords death. 1593 T. Fale Horologiographia f. 35 Omitting likewise y^e first three, &c. 1647 W. Lilly Christian Astrol. clxxi. 733 If the Native be borne by day, the ☉ governes the first seven yeers after the Birth, ♀ the next seven. 1654 J. Bramhall Just Vindic. Church of Eng. i. 2 For the first six hundred years and upwards. 1705 T. Hearne Ductor Historicus (ed. 2) I. ii. v. 158 He wrote the Life of Alexander in X. Books, whereof the first two are lost. 1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews I. i. v. 19 During the first six Days the poor Lady admitted none but Mrs. Slipslop. View more context for this quotation 1806 J. W. Callcott Musical Gram. ii. 4 The Notes of Music are named from the first seven letters of the alphabet, A, B, C, D, E, F, G. 1860 C. J. Ellicott Hist. Lect. Life Our Lord viii. 372 The first two Evangelists. 1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 667 In carefully nursed children it is generally observed in the first two months. 1927 Daily Express 21 Nov. 3/1 Earl Beauchamp opened the first six cottages of a ‘home-crofting’ experiment. 1969 Guardian 9 Aug. 8/3 The first two letters of the Postcode route the letter to the distant mail-handling centre. 2009 GQ Feb. 45/3 We did a test shoot and it ended up being the first three minutes of the movie. (b) Following the cardinal numeral.Since 1900 relatively rare, and almost never used with numerals higher than 4. See further note at sense A. 3b(a). ΚΠ 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 11 (MED) Þis byeþ þe ten hestes, huer-of þe þri uerste ous diȝt wel to god, Þe oþre zeuen ous diȝt to oure nixte. J. Gaytryge Lay Folks' Catech. (York Min.) (1901) l. 382 Of whilk suen [sc. virtues] the thre first, that er heued thewes, Teches us [etc.]. a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 299 Þe iij firste moneþis. a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1869) I. 44 In tyme of Crist weren þre sectis of religions, Pharises, Saduceis, and Esses, but of þe two first makiþ þis gospel mencioun. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection Pref. sig. Ai Of the whiche thre bokes, the two first: be but as prefaces. 1566 J. Rastell Treat.: Beware of M. Iewel To Rdr. sig. Aiv^v A short Table or Sum [of] the State of the Question conteined in euery of the foure first Articles. a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xxv. sig. Ee6 But her vnleasured thoughtes ran not ouer the ten first wordes. 1650 R. Stapleton tr. F. Strada De Bello Belgico i. 13 The two first dayes the King..had the Victory. 1685 R. Baxter Paraphr. New Test. John viii. 3 The last Verse of the foregoing Chapter and the eleven first Verses of this Chapter. 1751 J. Harris Hermes i. vii. 120 The three first of these Tenses we call the Inceptive Present, the Inceptive Past, and the Inceptive Future. 1781 S. Johnson Pope in Pref. Wks. Eng. Poets VII. 328 Each of the six first lines of the Iliad might lose two syllables. 1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. 197 During the five first ages of the city. 1805 W. Clark Jrnl. 10 July in Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. (1987) IV. 372 I deturmined to make Canoes out of the two first trees we had fallen. 1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede II. ii. xviii. 23 On wet Sundays, or whenever he had a touch of rheumatism, he used to read the three first chapters of Genesis. 1894 A. B. Gomme Trad. Games I. 15 The children form a ring, joining hands, and dance round singing the two first lines. 1941 K. O'Brien Land of Spices i. iii. 33 Anyway, I have only the three first verses to say, so my troubles will be over in a jiffy after we start. 1961 J. Stubblefield Davies's Introd. Palaeontol. (ed. 3) ii. 61 The two first are equivalve, without curved beaks, while Inoceramus is inequivalve, and has beaks incurved. 2002 Ann. Bot. 89 5/1 The two first wheat BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) libraries were constructed in 1999. †(c) With the first following the cardinal numeral. one the first: the first one. Obsolete.With this construction compare one pron. 3a. ΚΠ a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1882) VIII. 51 Þre þe firste were þe articules þat he hadde i-swore in his crownynge. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iv. l. 2606 (MED) Hermes was on the ferste of alle, To whom this art is most applied. c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) v. l. 855 (MED) Vlixes..With oon þe first gan to excuse. 1447 in S. A. Moore Lett. & Papers J. Shillingford (1871) i. 28 As ye have..allegged by two the furst divers articulis. 1502 tr. Ordynarye of Crysten Men (de Worde) ii. v. sig. i.v The thynge commaunded than pryncypally in the thre the fyrst commaundementes is charyte ayenst all the blessyd trynyte. 1541 T. Elyot Image of Gouernance xxiv. f. 48 In eyght the fyrste yeres of his empire. 1556 J. Olde tr. R. Gwalther Antichrist f. 70 All the hole mater of him might be comprehended in six chaptres, or proposicions. And therfore I haue lately expounded two the furst. c. Originally U.S. colloquial. In negative contexts: even or so much as the first; even one, a single; the least. Now chiefly in not to know the first thing about: see Phrases 3f. ΚΠ 1839 New Eng. Farmer 14 Aug. 52/2 They won't cost me the first red cent. 1840 Southern Lit. Messenger Apr. 245/1 The major was a hard-money man, and never could have the first notion of a bank driven into his head. 1849 Let. in N.Y. Tribune 23 May 2/2 On my knees, which I couldn't move the first inch. 1857 W. A. Gilbert Speech in Ho. Reps. 27 Feb. I am not aware of having committed the first act which would bring upon me the displeasure of the house. 1913 Pop. Sci. Monthly June 557 A lot of frothy stuff about the glory and responsibility of citizenship, without the first idea of obedience to law and institutions. 1936 M. R. Anand Coolie ii. 73 How difficult he had found things. He had never been taught the first thing about housework. 2003 Daily Tel. 30 Jan. 26/7 As they talked, it became clear that Eunice hadn't the first idea who Cherie was. 4. a. With regard to time: preceding all others in occurrence, existence, etc.; happening, existing, or presenting itself before the others; earliest. (a) With a noun or simple noun phrase. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > first or prior to all others formec888 eldestc897 firstlOE originalc1350 foremosta1400 furthermost?a1400 primary?a1425 primatea1425 primea1500 arch1574 soon1591 origin1632 utter1634 premier1652 aboriginary1653 furthest1653 fontal1656 principial1699 première1768 protological1936 first-ever1955 lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1128 Þa for mid him & æfter him swa micel folc swa næfre ær ne dide siððon þet se firste fare was on Vrbanes dæi pape. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13198 Þeȝȝ wærenn þallre firrste menn. a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) 494 Ðus fel Adam ðurȝ a tre, Vre firste fader. 1346 in J. B. Heath Some Acct. Worshipful Company of Grocers (1869) 42 At the sayd denner were chosyn ij, the freste Wardynes that ever were of owre fraternyte. Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 162 Fyrste be-getynge, primogenitura. 1483 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 89074) (1881) 132 Þe Firste martyr, prothomartir. a1500 (?a1425) Ipomedon (Harl.) (1889) l. 783 At þe fryst cokke roose hee. 1538 T. Elyot Dict. Crepundia..the fyrst apparayle of chyldren, as swathels, wastcotes, and such lyke. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 131 Fergus..is namet first King of Scottis. 1622 (?a1513) W. Dunbar Poems (Reidpeth) (1998) I. 240 Sen oure first father formed was of clay. 1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ i. iv. §7 Cadmus Milesius, supposed to be the first writer of History. 1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 139 At first view I thought they had some resemblance with those four monsters. 1697 J. Vanbrugh Provok'd Wife i. 4 He is the first Agressor. Not I. 1702 Compar. between Two Stages 22 We'll proceed from the first Celebrated Comedy..and so hand 'em down rough as they run, good and bad, to this time. 1796 Bp. R. Watson Apol. for Bible 74 Is it a story, that our first parents fell from a paradisiacal state? 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 16 Another planted the first vines in the neighbourhood of the Cape of Good Hope. 1868 J. N. Lockyer Elem. Lessons Astron. (1879) v. 193 The first clock in England was made about 1288. 1904 Longman's Mag. Jan. 215 The Revolution..the first American-built turbine boat. 1956 ‘B. Holiday’ & W. Dufty Lady sings Blues ii. 33 The first woman police judge in New York, a tough hard-faced old dame. 2009 Ireland's Eye Jan. 12/1 Baby Marie was the first child star, being only five in 1916 when she made her debut. (b) With the application defined by a relative or infinitive clause. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > first or prior to all others > first to firstc1175 c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 797 He wass þe firrste mann Þatt brohhte word onn eorþe. c1300 St. Sebastian (Laud) l. 7 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 177 Þe furste feste þat in þe ȝere comez we cleopiez ȝeres-dai. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 57 Brutons was þe verste [a1400 Trin. Cambr. ferste, c1425 Harl. firste] folc þat to engelonde com. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. xiv. 14 The first slaughter that Ionathas and his wapen bearer dyd, was..with in the length of halue an aker of londe. 1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. viii. 112 The first Shippe that euer was set a flote, was vppon the red Sea. 1601 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor i. iii. sig. C^v I doe fetch my pedegree and name from the first redde herring that was eaten in Adam, & Eues kitchin. View more context for this quotation a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Wales 33 The first Organ which was ever seen in the West of Europe, was, what was sent Anno 757 from Constantine the Grecian Emperor, to Pipin King of France. 1706 S. Centlivre Basset-table v. i. 62 I believe you are the First Gamester that ever Refunded. 1762 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting I. vii. 131 The first painter who seems to have made any figure in this reign. 1825 C. Wordsworth in J. H. Overton & E. Worthsworth Life (1888) 36 Crabbe..told us that Lord Chesterfield was the first person who introduced the word ‘unwell’ into common use. 1875 Encycl. Brit. III. 462/2 The first sultan who broke through the orthodox oppression of beardedness was Salim I. 1906 R. N. L. Brown et al. Voy. ‘Scotia’ i. 5 The first vessel to cross the Antarctic circle under steam was the well- known research ship, HMS Challenger. 1963 N. Bawden Secret Passage (1979) ii. 23 The first person who had tried to hedge him in was Mrs Epsom with her endless, boring, ‘Don't do this…don't do that.’ 2008 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 15 Apr. d1 The first museum to drop charges for the reproduction of images. b. With emphatic force, with the implication that the first event or occurrence is of prime importance, is all that is necessary, or is the only one to be regarded or waited for. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > first or prior to all others > and most important firstc1300 c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 114 Þe children hi broȝte..In to schupes borde At þe furste worde. ?c1425 in J. W. Legg Processional Nuns of Chester (1899) 9 (MED) At the first entre of the priores in to the chapiture to washe hiere Sistres feete on the Suppriores halfe thies antyms shall be songon, [etc.]. c1475 (c1399) Mum & Sothsegger (Cambr. Ll.4.14) (1936) iii. l. 56 Þey folwith þ^e vois at þ^e frist note. 1511 Pylgrymage Richarde Guylforde (Pynson) f. xi To euery Pylgryme at the firste fote that he setteth on londe there is graunted Plenary remyssion. 1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 21 That if she should yeelde at the first assault he woulde thinke hir a lyght huswife. a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) i. ix. 5 Let the first Budger dye the others Slaue. View more context for this quotation 1675 A. Marvell Wks. (1875) II. 433 I have made Crew, Bishop of Durham, and, at the first word of my Lady Portsmouth, Prideaux, Bishop of Chichester. 1699 W. Hacke Coll. Orig. Voy. ii. 39 Some Men of War lay ready to put out after us upon the first News of our being near. 1712 J. Warder True Amazons 73 Dispatches of Guards are sent from the first Disturbance given. 1780 Mirror No. 95. ⁋7 At the first glance I saw into him, and could now twist him round my finger. a1822 P. B. Shelley Magic Plant in Relics (1862) 16 Like a child's legend on the tideless sand, Which the first foam erases half, and half Leaves legible. 1882 Cincinnati Enquirer 16 Jan. 4/1 The first news received in Cincinnati of the fire in the Planters' House in St. Louis Sunday morning came from Chicago. 1901 F. Norris Octopus ii. vi. 509 ‘Rot the League’, cried Annixter. ‘It's gone to pot—went to pieces at the first touch’. 1995 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch (Nexis) 17 Dec. g9 The book is beautiful from the first glance, with a transparent overcover of a lattice design. c. Occurring or presenting itself next after a given point of time (expressed or implied). ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > first or prior to all others > after a given point in time firsta1400 a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) l. 2864 Y made my vow..Þat y shuld sle þe fyrste þyng Þat y mette homwarde for þe batayle. a1500 (?c1450) Merlin (1899) v. 89 Comaunde her that she do the childe to be delyuered to the firste man that shall mete at issue of the halle. 1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iv. f. 184 The thyrd is Heath Hony, a wyld kind of Hony, and not allowed, being geathered after the first shewers of Autum. 1607 J. Marston What you Will v The first thing her bounty shall fetch is, my blush-colour satin suit from pawn. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. ix. 173 Beest, the first Milk after Calving. 1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 45 The first Business was to get Canoes. 1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron I. iii. vi. 169 Make an experiment on the first Man you meet. 1834 L. Ritchie Wanderings by Seine (1835) 138 The first thing to be done was to secure lodgings. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 138 One of his first acts, after he became King, was to recall Ormond from Ireland. 1871 M. Collins Marquis & Merchant I. viii. 240 I shall get back to London by the first train. 1902 J. Conrad Heart of Darkness (1973) i. 14 I..opened the first door I came to. 1954 Househ. Guide & Almanac (News of World) 168/1 The first thing anyone should do, on discovering a fire, is to call the fire brigade. 2003 L. F. Winner Mudhouse Sabbath iii. 30 At the first meal after the funeral..the mourner is meant to eat an egg. d. Of a natural phenomenon: earliest in the season. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > first or prior to all others > of the season first1530 1530 Bible (Tyndale) Deut. xi. f. xxii He will geue rayne vnto youre londe in due season, both the fyrst rayne and the later. 1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. G3^v The first buds, or yong braunches shooting from the roote. 1658 tr. L. Lemnius Secret Miracles of Nature iii. iii.193 When the spring comes on, and the first Swallow appears. 1793 J. Leslie tr. Comte de Buffon Nat. Hist. Birds VIII. 74 The first snows compel them to leave our climates, and seek milder regions. 1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess v. 104 Pure as lines of green that streak the white Of the first snowdrop's inner leaves. 1860 P. H. Gosse Romance Nat. Hist. 8 The first cuckoo, the first swallow, sent a thrill through our hearts which is not repeated. 1903 B. Carman Poems II. 195 With an air as of April, expectant and still, Ere the first robin calls from the orcharded hill. 1945 Yank 28 Dec. 10 The XIV Corps quartermastered everyone in Korea in woolens before the first snowfall. 1950 E. Portch tr. T. Jansson Finn Family Moomintroll i. 14 One spring morning at four o'clock the first cuckoo arrived in the Valley of the Moomins. 1993 C. B. Divakaruni Arranged Marriage (1997) 7 He taught me the names of all the trees—mango, lichee, kul—and let me taste the first ripe fruits. 2009 S. Millhauser in New Yorker 9 Feb. 95/3 The first snow. From our porches we watched the three-wheeled sweepers move slowly along our streets, carrying it off in big hoppers. e. Chiefly U.S. Designating an organization, as a church, bank, etc., that is the earliest of its kind in a given community. Frequently in the names of such organizations. ΚΠ 1702 C. Mather Magnalia Christi Americana iii. vi. 221/1 On Dec. 28. 1674. Died Mr. John Oxenbridge, a Successor to four Famous Johns, in the Pastoral Charge, of the First Church in Boston. 1863 N.Y. Times 10 Apr. 2/5 The contemplated bank will be known as ‘The First National Bank of Cleveland’. 1926 Times 20 Sept. 16/5 He was appointed at the age of 17 organist and choirmaster of the First Methodist Church at St. Thomas, Ontario. 1980 R. B. Parker Looking for Rachel Wallace (2011) xii. 325 ‘I'm meeting with a caucus of women employees at First Mutual Insurance,’ Rachel said. 2010 D. S. Shaffer Profiting in Econ. Storms viii. 100 The same congressmen who in 1811 voted not to renew the charter for the First Bank of the United States voted to charter the Second Bank of the United States. f. English regional (northern), Scottish, and Irish English (northern). After the name of a day of the week: next, following. Cf. last adj. 7a. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > succession or following in time > [adjective] > succeeding or subsequent followingOE afterOE nextOE suinga1325 suant1422 succedentc1450 after-comingc1454 secondary1471 subsequent1472 succeeding1561 supervenient1565 subsequent1568 consequent1581 proceeding1592 ensuing1604 subsecutive1611 sequenta1616 insequentc1620 postliminious1625 sequel1632 postnate1638 supervening1640 descending1642 forward1643 postventional1645 yondersa1650 succrescent1653 pedissequous1657 subsequential1657 assequent1659 post-nated1659 posthume1662 posterious1672 survenient1677 succedent1688 postliminous1714 first1746 sequelled1805 postliminary1826 thereafter1830 descensive1882 akoluthic1889 1746 D. Cameron Let. 2 Jan. in Whole Proc. House Peers High Treason 151 To meett him att Bannockburn, Saturday first. 1751 G. Sinclair Let. 30 May in A. Lockhart Memorial for Sir John Sinclair (1766) 25 When I go in to Edinburgh, which will be upon Thursday first, I will get a sight of the charter. 1781 D. Ritchie in Southey's Life of A. Bell (1844) I. 252 I..must prepare a new sermon for Sabbath first. 1787 A. Dent Let. 27 May in T. S. Willan Eighteenth-cent. Shopkeeper (1970) vi. 106 Thirty six dozen which shall be forwarded on Thursday first. 1834 J. W. Carlyle Let. 27 May in A. McQueen Simpson & M. McQueen Simpson I too am Here (1977) 110 There is no earthly objection to my sailing on Friday first. 1860 Minutes of Evid. Select Comm. Carlisle Election Petition 9 in Parl. Papers (H.C. 126) XI. 33 This letter..has these Words: ‘You must be in Carlisle on Thursday night first, as the election will take place on Friday first’, that is ‘next’. 1890 Glasgow Herald 24 Mar. 1/1 Tickets for the special service in the Cathedral, on Thursday first. 1904 Weekly Irish Times 17 Sept. 22/1 In Ulster ‘next Monday’ is ‘Monday first.’ 1996 C. I. Macafee Conc. Ulster Dict. 125/2 First, of days of the week next, coming e.g. Tuesday first. B. adv. 1. a. Before any other or anything else, in time, serial order, rank, etc.; before anything else is done or takes place. See also first and foremost at Phrases 2b, first of all at Phrases 2f. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > preceding or following in order > [adverb] > near the beginning > first in order firstlOE aforewarda1200 firstlya1475 firstlins1827 the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adverb] > first of all firstlOE first and forward1362 first and foremostc1400 first of alla1522 lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 963 Se biscop com þa fyrst to Elig. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6876 Forr þi comenn þeȝȝ himm firrst To sekenn i þatt ende. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 7868 To chirchen & to poueremen he ȝef verst [c1425 Harl. vorst] as he ssolde. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 22879 Bi his wille doþ þat kyng Out of þe harde tre to spryng Forst þe leef & þenne þe flour And siþen fruyt. 1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. 542 Iulius Cesar..Off Rome wes fryst maid emperour. 1521 in J. W. Clay Testamenta Eboracensia (1902) VI. 6 First I will my saull to God Almyghtie. 1596 W. Raleigh Let. 21 June (1999) 146 I went first aborde the Earl and afterward to the Admirall. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 376 Who first, who last, Rous'd from the slumber, on that fiery Couch. View more context for this quotation 1718 M. Prior Alma iii, in Poems Several Occasions (new ed.) 373 Who first offend will first complain. 1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 68/1 Having received that money, I will pay you first, and after that will pay others. 1814 W. Wordsworth Excursion i. 27 O Sir! the good die first . View more context for this quotation 1847 J. Keble Serm. Academical & Occas. xi. 275 The two who first saw our Lord. 1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 88 Your wet ropes..give blisters first And then a horny hand. 1972 Financial Times 28 July 13/1 (advt.) Whatever the message you have to convey, first get your facts right. 2004 S. Mehta Maximum City 238 The assistant serves the women first. †b. At first, originally. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > beginning > [adverb] firstlOE beginninglya1340 originally1430 firstly1605 initiallya1628 lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 675 Ic Saxulf þe wæs first abbot & nu eam biscop. c1300 St. Dunstan (Laud) l. 44 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 20 Ech Abbeie of Enguelonde þat of blake Monekes is Of þe hous of Gastingburi furst sprong and cam. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 5373 Frist was he here as vr thrall, Nou vnder me es he mast of all. a1500 (?a1400) Morte Arthur (1903) l. 1151 Thy curtessy was All be-hynde Whan thou thoo sawes freste began. 1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales ii. xviii. 58 Plancina growing more insolent, then first changed the mourning weede..into a ioifull attire. a1687 E. Waller Battle of Summer Islands in Poems (1893) 67 Heaven sure has kept this spot of earth uncurst, To show how all things were created first. c. In a statement, discourse, or argument, where points or topics are enumerated: in the first place, as the first thing to be mentioned or considered, firstly. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adverb] > in the first place firstlOE ora1300 imprimis1465 once1523 originally1533 primely1610 in the first instancea1676 for one thing1767 lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 656 Ðas sindon þa witnes þe þær wæron... Ðet wæs first seo kyning Wulfere. c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. vii. l. 15 For ich formest and ferst..Haue ybe vnboxome. c1400 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 441 Þai say furst, þat [etc.]. c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Melibeus (Hengwrt) (2003) §273 First & forward ye han erred in the assemblyng of youre conseillours. a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 193 Matremony ys to be commendid for many caussis..fruste, for the auctorite of almyghty god. 1644 H. Parker Jus Populi 39 I make answer First..Secondly..Thirdly. 1718 in G. Lamoine Charges to Grand Jury (1992) 98 Forgery..punishable at common Law..has two Divisions. First, its the falsly forging or making..of any intire Deed, Court-Roll, or Will of any Person. 1799 F. Hervey Let. 28 Mar. in B. Fothergill Mitred Earl (1974) vii. 232 Those doubly damn'd miscreants, first as French, secondly as Reps. 1847 T. De Quincey Spanish Mil. Nun §5 First (for I detest your ridiculous and most pedantic neologism of firstly). 1904 E. G. Taylor Daughter of Dale i. 18 Of course you deserve a good round penalty, first for stealing, and secondly for being so silly as to get caught. 1952 G. Vidal Judgm. of Paris i. 17 I must say that, first, he is young and that, second, he is handsome. 2012 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 16 Aug. 76/1 Why are ‘some great names’ missing from the book? ‘I offer two excuses: first, quarts and pint pots; and second, isn't this book big enough?’ 2. For the first time, then and not earlier (with reference to a specified time, place, etc.). ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adverb] > earliest or first of all foremostOE erstOE firstc1180 aforewarda1200 erstly1600 the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adverb] > for the first time firstc1180 firstlyc1380 c1180 Notes to Hexateuch (Claud. B.iv) in A. N. Doane & W. P. Stoneman Purloined Lett. (2011) 40 Næs nan wuna her ða flode flæsches to notiena, æc her fyrst. c1300 St. Brendan (Laud) 251 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 226 Ȝeot after þat seint Brendan þis yle furst saiȝ [emended to y-seiȝ in ed.], Fourti dawes heo wenden in þe se er huy comen þere neiȝ. a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 648 (MED) Þus was ferst here sad sorwe sesed þat time. ?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 47 Fro þare may pilgrimes first see to Ierusalem. a1500 in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 164 Whan seyntes ffelle ffryst ffrom heuen. 1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets civ. sig. G2^v For as you were when first your eye I eyde, Such seemes your beautie still. View more context for this quotation 1662 S. Pepys Diary 23 May (1970) III. 90 Here among the Fidlers I first saw a Dulcimore played on, with sticks knocking of the strings, and is very pretty. 1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron I. i. i. 5 I knew him first at the Temple. 1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 25/1 When was it that you first heard mention of the bond? 1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam xxxix. 60 A maiden in the day When first she wears her orange-flower! View more context for this quotation 1896 M. Beerbohm in Yellow Bk. 9 169 The Antiguan was already on the brink of middle-age when he first trod the English shore. 1925 A. J. Whyte tr. C. B. Cavour Let. in Early Life & Lett. Cavour vii. 191 Love me, Camille,..love me that I may never rue the hour when first I saw you. 1954 E. Taylor Hester Lilly 35 You're a damn witty girl, I know that. When I first met you I thought you were a bit of a nincompoop. 1976 T. Hooper Guide to Bees & Honey ii. 37 It is quite startling when you first see the apiary a-buzz with thousands of bees circling around. 2011 Art Q. Autumn 44/1 When I first started doing the work it was so un-painterly that people hated it. 3. a. Before some other specified or implied thing, time, event, etc.it will be long first: see long adv.¹ 5b. ΚΠ c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 544 Mid spere ischal furst ride..Ar ihc þe ginne to woȝe. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 1625 Bot firist a tre, ar i bigine, I sal here sett of noe kinne. 1444 in J. Raine Testamenta Eboracensia (1855) II. 105 The residewe of all my gudes, my dettes firste paide, I putt to ye disposicion of ye sayde Hugh. 1567 R. Sempill Deeclaratioun Lordis Iust Quarrell (single sheet) Conarus was inclosit First being dewlie for his fault deposit. 1597 J. Payne Royall Exchange 38 Although it be long fyrst..yet..they come. 1611 Bible (King James) 2 Sam. xiii. 13 Thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal Sauls daughter. View more context for this quotation 1619 E. M. Bolton tr. Florus Rom. Hist. (1636) 251 They wasted the puissance of Sertorius in battell, though it was long first. 1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 7 Ask'd..when those of Holstein would be receiv'd; he told him..it would be three weeks first. 1748 S. Richardson Clarissa VII. xl. 164 Mr. Pocock undertakes to deliver This; but fears it will be Saturday night first. 1767 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield (new ed.) II. ix. 147 I wounded one who first assaulted me. 1856 C. Dickens Little Dorrit (1857) i. v. 39 She had this bit of work to begin first..that bit of work to finish first. 1884 A. R. Pennington Wiclif ix. 297 It is impossible for the priest to remit the sins of any unless they are first remitted by Christ. 1908 P. N. Hasluck Cassell's House Decoration 171/2 All the washing and stripping should be done first. The wallpaper must be removed, and the paint stripped. 1973 V. Nabokov Let. 13 Apr. in Sel. Lett. (1989) 514 I want to finish first a little slice of my new novel. 2009 J. Struthers Red Sky at Night 259 If you want to make a patchwork quilt.., you need to collect lots of fabric first. b. In preference to something else; rather, sooner (than do something specified or implied, or allow it to be done). ΘΚΠ the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > [adverb] > in preference to something else ratherc1300 heldera1400 tittera1400 ererc1425 soon1457 rathest1556 would rather1557 first1580 preferablya1645 choosingly1651 preferable1683 ruther1809 1580 A. Melville in Life (1819) I. ii. 87 They shall have all the blood of my body first. a1625 J. Fletcher Humorous Lieut. ii. iv, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Rrr/1 My noble childe thou shalt not fall in vertue, I and my power will sink first. 1691 T. Shadwell Scowrers iii. 27 Avoid 'em, no I'll hang first, good Nuncle. 1797 Anti-Jacobin 27 Nov. 15/2 I give thee Sixpence! I will see thee damn'd first. 1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci v. iii. 96 O weak, wicked tongue..would that thou hadst been Cut out and thrown to dogs first? 1869 R. Browning Ring & Bk. IV. x. 15 Die? He'll bribe a gaoler or break prison first! 1894 ‘J. S. Winter’ Red Coats 56 Then..let me tell you straight, I'll just see you shot first. 1934 G. B. Shaw Too True to be Good i. 46 The Patient... Doesnt that tempt you? The Nurse. Tempt me hell! I'll see you further first. 1953 G. Jones Shepherd's Hey 109 Favour, hell. I'll see you stuffed first! 2003 C. N. Adichie Purple Hibiscus (2004) 189 I will put my dead husband's grave up for sale..before I give our father a Catholic funeral... I will sell Ifediora's grave first! 4. In the winning or leading position in a contest or competition; as the winner.Sometimes overlapping with sense B. 1a. ΚΠ 1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan i. xiv. 67 If a man propound a Prize to him that comes first to the end of a race, The gift is Free. 1792 J. Lemprière Bibliotheca Classica (ed. 2) at Gymnasium In running a-foot the athletes were sometimes armed, and he who came first was declared victorious. 1841 Sporting Rev. Sept. 188 At the distance Rogers set Mus going a little faster, and finished first by a length. 1879 Aberdeen Jrnl. 28 July 6/1 Mr D. Nicol, Anguston, came first in the competition with a very handsome red bull. 1950 Sun (Baltimore) 18 Mar. 12/1 The Ticonderoga..was named the scratch boat. This means she is favored to finish first in the long race. 1956 B. D. Zaharias & H. Paxton This Life I've Led x. 131 Our ‘team’..finished first with a best-ball score of 120. 1991 Wine Summer 48/2 This wine recently finished first in a blind tasting of 343 top Pomerol wines. 2011 A. Gibbons Act of Love (2012) xvi. 160 Jess was talking animatedly about the show. ‘So it went well?’ I asked. ‘Yes, we came first. That means we go to the regional finals.’ 5. = first class adv. 1. ΘΚΠ society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > public passenger transport > [adverb] > by specific class of accommodation first class1846 second-class1863 third class1863 first1868 business class1962 1868 Mechanics' Mag. 2 Oct. 261/1 Any one who may have reasons..for making a journey by rail in the most comfortable manner possible, can do so by ‘going first’, and paying for the extra accommodation. 1871 S. Doudney Under Gray Walls xv. 109 I was seated in a second-class carriage, as befitted a humble governess who could not afford to travel ‘first’. 1889 J. K. Jerome Three Men in Boat iv. 50 They would..pay the difference and go first. 1919 D. Ashford Young Visiters ii. 23 They traveled 2nd class in the train and Ethel was longing to go first but thought perhaps least said soonest mended. 1922 M. Arlen ‘Piracy’ ii. xix. 288 Travelling ‘first’ with a ‘third’ ticket. 1967 ‘J. Munro’ Money that Money can't Buy vi. 75 They..went aboard their Trident..Loomis had insisted on travelling first. 1980 J. O'Faolain No Country for Young Men iii. 56 ‘No point travelling First’, the man at the Euston ticket office had advised. C. n.² 1. With the and the person or thing denoted identified contextually. a. The first person or thing of a category, series, etc. (a) The first thing(s) or person(s) in an enumerated list or sequence. Chiefly with anaphoric reference: the first-mentioned thing(s) or person(s).When used with anaphoric reference, where only two things or persons are mentioned, the former is now usually preferred.Also occasionally with demonstrative or relative determiner. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [noun] > the aforesaid firsta1250 premise1429 aforesaid?1500 aforegoing1592 aforenamed1604 aforementioned1663 above1691 a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Titus) (1963) 18 Bacbiteres..arn of twa maneres... Þe firste [?c1225 Cleo. arre] cumes al openliche & seis uuel bi an oðer. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) John xix. 32 Knyȝtis camen, and sothly thei braken the thiȝes of the firste, and of the tothir... Whanne thei hadden come to Jhesu..thei braken not his thiȝes. 1447 O. Bokenham Lives of Saints (Arun.) (1938) l. 31 If be ‘what’ or ‘why’ Be questyounn maad of thys tretyhs pleynly As for the fyrste, who so lyst to here, Certeyn the auctour was an austyn frere. 1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 4^v I am neither so suspitious to mistrust your good will, nor so sottishe to mislike your good counsaile, as I am therefore to thancke you for the first, so it standes mee vppon to thincke better on the latter. 1633 W. Struther True Happines 124 We shall consider in it two affections..Love and joy: The first is our inloving, the other our injoying of him. 1668 Bp. J. Wilkins Ess. Real Char. 369 (Zh) the sonorous Consonant, and (Sh) its correspondent mute... The first being vocal, the other mute. 1712 R. Blackmore Creation vii. 339 To Ill her Hate, to Good her Appetite, To shun the first, the latter to procure. 1774 T. Pennant Tour Scotl. 1772 238 They yield bear and potatoes, much of the first is used in distillation. 1834 H. McMurtrie tr. G. Cuvier Animal Kingdom (abridged ed.) 97 These latter, which we designate collectively by the term Pachydermata, admit of subdivision into families. The first is that of the Pachydermata which have a proboscis and tusks. 1852 S. S. Cox Buckeye Abroad x. 156 The theatre..is cheap in price and poor in quality. The box, to the first, is only fifteen cents. 1882 Catholic World Mar. 813 This he did by printing his pictures not from one block but from three. The first contained only the outlines and deeper shades, the next the middle tints, and the last the fainter shades. 1900 Onward 24 Feb. 64/1 Demonianism and sorcery—the first implying control of human beings by evil spirits, and the latter implying the converse. 1912 Yale Lit. Mag. Oct. 67 More and more feet brushed the road, each in a greater hurry than the last. These first were only camp followers. 1952 J. A. Steers et al. Lake's Physical Geogr. (ed. 3) i. vii. 94 The distinction between ‘alto’ and ‘cirro’ clouds lies in the fact that the first are clouds of medium height..; whereas the base of the latter lies above 20,000 feet [etc.]. 1996 Jet 12 Aug. 38/2 The first was to get out of hospital. The second was to walk, and the last was to return to work. 2001 R. Muni Yoga (ed. 2) vi. 64/2 The first is most subtle, the next is subtle, and the last is gross. (b) With identifying relative or infinitive clause and singular or plural reference: the person or thing prior to all others in action, experience, occurrence, existence, etc. Also occasionally with anaphoric reference.With infinitive clause, sometimes used hyperbolically to imply readiness to do something rather than strict priority. ΚΠ c1330 Body & Soul (Auch.) (1889) 34 (MED) Y nam þe first, no worþ þe last, Þat haþ ydronken of þat nap. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. l. 7364 I schal miselven be the ferste To grieven hem. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 1469 Enoch..was þe first þat letters fand. a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 23 Sir Gryfflet was the firste that sette oute. 1517 R. Fox tr. Rule Seynt Benet lxxii. sig. G.vii They must shewe obedience as euery of them wolde be the furste to do obedience and in maner stryue amonges them selfe who shalbe most obedient. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xlvi. f. lxxii/1 Wherfore to saue them I wyll be the first to putte my lyfe in ieopardy. c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 67^v The furst þat was founden of þes fals goddes. 1556 J. Ponet Apol. (new ed.) iv. 55 All these were before Iouinian, & heritiques, and at Rome, & preached or taught ther. Ergo Iouinian was not the furst. 1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer ii. sig. M.i^v A noble Stageplaier..that..would alwaies be the first to come furth to playe his parte. 1568 E. Tilney Brief Disc. Mariage sig. Avij I will not be the first, that shall disobey. 1594 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 ii. ii. 62 Be we the first to honor him with birthright to the Crown. 1619 E. M. Bolton tr. Florus Rom. Hist. 197 The first who threw the yoake off, were the Macedonians. 1638 J. Hainhofer tr. Secretary of Ladies xi. 84 Since you have beene the first to breake it, twas fit you should be to restablish it. 1684 J. Evelyn Diary (1955) IV. 389 I went to see the Rhinocerous (or Unicorne) being the first that I suppose was ever brought into England. 1710 Ld. Shaftesbury Soliloquy 4 Who will willingly be the first to try our Hand. 1743 H. Fielding Jonathan Wild iv. iv, in Misc. III. 318 Why no great matter.—The gentleman is not the first, nor won't be the last. 1747 W. Gould Acct. Eng. Ants 52 The Female Aurelia's are generally the first which transform, and are those that make their Appearance in the Shape of large Flies. 1798 S. T. Coleridge Anc. Marinere ii, in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 12 We were the first that ever burst Into that silent Sea. 1857 H. T. Buckle Hist. Civilisation Eng. I. xii. 658 [Voltaire] was the first who popularized in France the philosophy of Newton. 1886 Pop. Sci. Monthly Nov. 121/2 The idea it suggests is one which the writer would be the first to repudiate. 1893 M. G. Easton Illustr. Bible Dict. 677/1 Tyrian merchants were the first who ventured to navigate the Mediterranean waters. 1908 J. R. Hodgdon First Course Amer. Hist. II. xvii. 211 The English engines were found so satisfactory that the United States began to make her own. The first were built in New York state. 1958 J. Thurber Let. 30 Dec. (2002) 701 Likely to be among the first to reach the moon. 1989 N.Y. Woman Nov. 51/2 Michelman, 47, is the first to admit that she's a workaholic. 2000 R. Barger et al. Hell's Angel vii. 133 He was the first who approached us to make a legit movie. (c) With a relative clause containing hear, know, see, be told, etc. The beginning of a person's awareness of, knowledge about, or contact with someone or something. ΚΠ 1697 J. Vanbrugh Relapse ii. i. 34 Wor... But, pray Madam, how long has this noble Lord been an humble Servant of yours? Aman. This is the first I have heard on't. a1777 S. Foote Trip to Calais (1778) i. 24 It is the first I ever heard of a tailor's goose hissing! 1793 J. O'Keeffe World in Village iii. ii. 40 Mrs. A. (confused and embarrassed) Mr. Willows, I—cou'd—have—wish'd—Sir, that you had told us. Will. The first I knew of it myself. 1862 M. Sewell Patience Hart's First Experience in Service xii. 88 This was the first we had heard of her mother living in Islington. 1869 Rep. Case Steamship Meteor I. 191 I met these parties there, and was introduced to them. Q. Was that the first you knew of them? A. Yes, sir, that was the first I knew of McNichols and Conkling. 1870 Fraser & Bingham against Freeman (N.Y. Court of Appeals) 111 That was the first I had seen of the pistol—the first I had ever seen of it, or knew that he had it. 1945 Billboard 5 May 29/2 The first he knew about Kaye's commitments was when he was told about them a few weeks ago. 1984 J. Kelman Busconductor Hines i. 40 Well it's the first I've heard. 2005 J. M. Coetzee Slow Man xxv. 201 Hadn't she given notice? No, I said, this was the first I heard of it. b. The person or thing of highest status, rank, importance, or excellence. Also with plural reference. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > one who is important > one who has leading position or is most important firstc1275 coba1420 principalsa1425 cock1542 chief1569 colossus1605 primore1625 cape1650 sachem1684 leading light1707 high priest1737 king bee1792 gentleman, man of lead1793 queen bee1823 primo basso1826 spokesman1828 protagonist1837 kingpin1861 key man1895 headliner1896 big boy1921 numero uno1944 godfather1963 the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > that which is important > most important moreOE firstc1275 principala1393 chiefa1400 main chance1577 forefront1589 principal verb1602 centre of gravity1718 avatar1859 main stem1900 Big Apple1909 prima ballerina1923 centrepiece1937 c1275 Kentish Serm. in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 221 So sulle þo uerste bie last and þo laste ferst. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mark ix. 34 If any man wole be the first among ȝou. ?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 159 Thow xalte be þe fyrst of hyȝ degre. 1565 J. Jewel Replie Hardinges Answeare iv. 241 This priuilege graunted vnto the Bishop of Rome, to be the firste of al Priestes, was not, to beare the whole swaye, and to ouer rule al the worlde. 1681 J. Dryden Spanish Fryar iv. ii. 54 Self-preservation is the first of Laws. 1688 W. Wake tr. Sure Means for Conversion All Hereticks 47 They say, that the Pope is Primus inter Pares, and that so he is the first of all Bishops. 1839 tr. A. de Lamartine Trav. in East 82/1 He is the first of sentimental poets!—the king of lyrics! 1883 American 7 121 Only Dr. Th. Kolde contests with Dr. Köstlin the distinction of being the first of living Lutherists. 1963 T. Ware Orthodox Church ii. 35 The Orthodox Church acknowledges Peter as the first among the Apostles. 1993 U.S. News & World Rep. 29 Mar. 16 History is likely to remember Hayes as the first among the theater's first ladies. c. The first part or beginning of something (esp. a period of time or season (now U.S.) or a movement of the tide).In quot. a1382, without of-phrase, as a literalism of translation.The use shown by quots. 1844 and 1893 refers to the first part of the year, rather than its first day (cf. sense C. 1d). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > beginning > [noun] > the first part or beginning beginning1297 primec1300 firstc1330 primity1546 prime tide1549 springtime1579 morning1595 vaward1599 noviceship1610 fore-enda1616 vernalitya1639 c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 8257 Þe squiers were armed and on hem dast And in þe first of þat seylinge Þai slowen michel heþen genge. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. i. 1 In þe first [L. In principio] made god of nouȝt: heuen & erþ. ?1495 R. Fitzjames Sermo die Lune in Ebdomada Pasche (de Worde) sig. c iv^v How from the fyrste of the creacyon of man oure moost mercyfull lorde..euer more & more nyghed vnto mankynde. a1500 in R. H. Robbins Secular Lyrics 14th & 15th Cent. (1952) 66 (MED) The fyrste of wynter harde se shall ye..But þe latter ende of wynter ys gude. a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xxvii. sig. Ff4^v But now perceiuing the flood of their furie began to ebbe, he thought it policie to take the first of the tide. 1670 J. Narborough in Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) 44 At the first of the Flood we caught five hundred Fishes. 1761 Brit. Mag. 2 446 The six prames..dropt down upon the first of the ebb. 1784 Unfortunate Sensibility II. 67 It was boiling from the first of the morning, till they wanted their dinners. 1798 Invasion II. 14 I had..from the first of his entrance, kept retreating to the other side of the room. 1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. II. 986 When the calf is suffered to suck the mother, it should have the first of the milk. 1840 F. Marryat Poor Jack xxii. 155 We shall be able to stem the first of the flood. 1844 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 1841–3 2 247 Bi-hourly observations..had ceased with the first of the present year. 1893 Kappa Alpha Jrnl. July 434 Mr. Young is a rising Sophomore and was asked to join us the first of the year. 1906 U. Sinclair Jungle iv. 54 The next day Marija..was told to report the first of the week, and learn the business of can-painter. 1940 W. Faulkner Go Down, Moses (1960) 40 In the first of light he mounted the white man's front steps. 1967 P. S. Catling Experiment xx. 134 We ought to have the automanipulation tests under way by the first of the week. 1986 P. Matthiessen Men's Lives (1988) iii. xii. 180 Setting their trawls..on the last of the ebb and lifting them..on the first of the flood. 1995 G. Burn Fullalove (2004) ii. 63 Here we are once more..getting in the first of the day. d. In dates: the first day of a month. (a) With of (the month). Also followed by inst. (see inst. adj.: now rare).In quot. c1400, (probably) referring to the first day of the first month of the year. ΘΚΠ the world > time > period > year > [noun] > specific days of the year Candlemas1014 May Day1267 All Souls' Dayc1300 midsummer evena1400 firstc1400 Beltane1424 midsummer eve1426 quarter day1435 Beltane1456 mid-Sundaya1475 madding-day1568 Lord Mayor's day1591 Barnaby bright1595 Lammas-eve1597 All Saints' Night1607 Handsel Monday1635 distaff's day1648 long Barnabya1657 St. Valentine's eve1671 leet-day1690 All Fools' Day1702 Boxing Day1743 April Fool's Day1748 Royal Oak Day1759 box day1765 Oak-apple Day1802 All Souls' Eve1805 mischief night1830 Shick-shack Day1847 chalk-back day1851 call night1864 Nut-Monday1867 Arbor Day1872 April Fool's1873 Labour Day1884 Martinmas Sunday1885 call day1886 Samhain1888 Juneteenth1890 Mother's Day1890 Father's Day1908 Thinking Day1927 Punkie night1931 Tweede Nuwejaar1947 the world > time > period > a month or calendar month > [noun] > specific day of a month nonesOE firstc1400 month's day1449 last1528 penultimate1529 third1530 penult1537 penultim1538 month day1546 tenth1580 ninth1589 c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1072 (MED) On þe fyrst of þe ȝere. 1528 T. Paynell tr. Arnaldus de Villa Nova in Joannes de Mediolano Regimen Sanitatis Salerni sig. d.ij In them are dayes forbidden to let bloud, that is the fyrste of Maye, and laste of september and aprile. 1542 E. Harvel in State Papers Henry VIII (1849) VIII. 706 I wrote to the same the first of thinstant; and senith her is arivid..the Turkes Ambassadour. 1594 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 ii. iv. 72 I summon your Grace, vnto his highnesse Parliament holden at saint Edmunds-Bury, the first of the next month. 1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing i. i. 182 Theres her cosin..exceedes her as much in beautie, as the first of Maie dooth the last of December. View more context for this quotation 1665 F. P. Verney & M. M. Verney Mem. Verney Family 17th Cent. (1907) II. 243 The first inst. we arrived att the nasty Spaw, and have now began to drinke the horid sulfer watter. 1673 S'too him Bayes 20 Do'st thou take this to be the first of April? 1765 Earl of Coventry in J. H. Jesse G. Selwyn & his Contemp. (1843) I. 402 The letter I had from Lord March..offering to take my waiting the first of next month, in exchange of his own, which is not till the 29th. 1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. v. 525 He encamped on the 1st of June within three miles of the place. 1881 Cent. Mag. Dec. 296/1 I presume I shall continue to act as P.M.G. as I have been doing since the first inst. 1892 Garden & Forest 2 Mar. 100/2 On the very first of February, which was a genial day, we found..tiny unopened pistillate flowers on our Japanese Alder. 1918 E. Hemingway Let. 2 Jan. (2011) I. 72 Only 4 more months till the first of May. Yippi Yeah! 1998 New Yorker 12 Sept. 67/1 I need to have the winter hats in the store by the first of September. (b) Preceded by the name of the month. ΚΠ 1599 R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) II. 166 The first of February we put into a Port in Mallorca. [margin] February the first. Mallorca. a1649 W. Drummond Skiamachia in Wks. (1711) 194 We hope your Lordships will give us Leave..to remember your Lordships of your Deliverance, June the First, 1642. 1700 List Adventurers (single sheet) The Mine Adventure, May the First, 1700. 1775 G. Harrison Agric. Delineated 170 July the first, harrowed it. On the sixteenth, ribbled it close across. 1811 G. Hardinge Let. 15 Aug. in Athenæum (1850) 30 Mar. 338/1 In the afternoon of October the first, and at half-past five. 1864 Dental Q. Dec. 89 The Dental Colleges have been open for the season, since November the first. 1949 D. Thomas Let. 24 Nov. (1987) 733 I see that you are wanting the story by March the first. And March the first it will certainly be. 1997 ‘S. Shem’ Mount Misery iii. 68 August the first, go to Vineyard. Labor Day, come back. (c) Without modifier. spec.: (in the language of sportspeople) the first day of a particular month, when the season (for shooting, fishing, etc.) begins. ΘΚΠ the world > time > period > a day or twenty-four hours > [noun] > day on which something is scheduled to begin opening day1798 magazine-day1821 first1868 zero day1917 1868 Broadway Sept. 23/1 Just in time to dress for the seven o'clock dinner, the evening preceding ‘the first’, dedicated for years and years to the immolation of the partridge! 1871 Country Gentleman's Mag. Oct. 218/2 The man who cannot hit seven partridges out of ten that he fires at on the First, is not likely to profit much by our writing. 1881 H. E. Goldschmidt tr. F. Spielhagen Quisisana xxvii. 311 The first of May! Why, to-morrow is the first. It is too late for a letter. 1896 Times 31 Mar. 9/6 Many of the professional punt-fishermen have already been engaged for ‘The First’. 1987 Alcalde (Univ. Texas) Mar.–Apr. 15/1 ‘It's March the second?’..‘Yes. Yesterday was the first.’ 1995 S. E. Grace in M. Lowry Sursum Corda! I. 648 The Mexican Day of the Dead is celebrated on 2 November, but there are candle-light vigils that begin on the first. e. Heraldry. The tincture which is first mentioned in a blazon. ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > heraldic tincture > [noun] > first or second first1562 second1572 1562 G. Legh Accedens of Armory f. 49 I sayde, voyded of the first, because Argent was the first that was named. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory i. vii. 95 He beareth Argent, three Bends Gules; on a Chief of the first. 1705 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. 8 Dec. Sable, A Cross argent, charg'd with another of the first. 1828 W. Berry Encycl. Her. II. Filshed quarterly or. and az.; on the second and third quarters, an eagle, displayed, of the first. 1862 W. M. Thackeray Adventures of Philip III. iv. 129 These, you know, are argent, a dexter sinople on a fesse wavy of the first. 1901 ‘J. Waring’ tr. H. de Balzac Scenes Courtesan's Life II. 387 Clément Chardin des Lupeaulx, whose father was ennobled by Louis XV.,..bore quarterly; of the first, argent, a wolf sable, ravissant, carrying a lamb, gules. 1937 Canad. Hist. Rev. 18 253 Argent a maple leaf vert, on a chief (azure) sustained gules an automobile wheel winged within a border of the first. 1999 Times 23 June 17/3 Heraldry is conducted in a strange language..with wonderful descriptions like: ‘Per fess or and azure, a galley of the first, masts, oars and tackling proper [etc.].’ †f. Printing. The senior of a pair of pressmen working together. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 319 The one they distinguish by the name of First, the other his Second, these call one another Companions: The First is he that has wrought longest at that Press. 1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. First, the senior or leading partner of the two men who work at a hand-press. 2. As a count noun. a. Something that is first. ΚΠ 1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. vi. 80 There are two Firsts; the one is Gods word, & the other is God. 1674 R. Baxter Full & Easie Satisfaction i. iv. 25 And so we run not in a circle, and need not a supernatural faith, for the founding of our first supernatural faith; that is, A first before the first. 1713 J. Edwards Theologia Reformata II. 305 It would be absurd and ridiculous to say there is more than one First. 1842 B. F. Barrett Course Lect. Doctr. New Jerusalem Church viii. 282 There evidently cannot be two Firsts and Lasts in the sense in which these words are here used. 1892 Daily News 1 Dec. 2/3 The 1st June and December are the two quietest ‘firsts’ in the year. 1967 R. J. A. White Short Hist. Eng. vi. 112 These ‘firsts’ and ‘lasts’, belong to the adjectival heritage of outworn text-books, but they are not always unprofitable. 2007 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 24 Apr. a6/1 The baby book conjured up..guilt... Its pages contain more blank lines than carefully written dates of ‘firsts’. b. In plural. Goods of the best quality. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun] > high quality goods first1700 superfines1721 1700 T. Tryon Lett. xxxiv. 208 The Makers and Clayers of this Sugar call it Firsts, Seconds, Thirds and Fourths, for so many degrees of Goodness and Whiteness it is divided into, and each is sold apart. 1776 L. Carter Diary 26 July (1965) II. 1064 It seems by mixing firsts and seconds [sc. of wheat] together his bread was not white. 1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 535 The finest marls, called firsts, are selected for the arches of doorways, &c. 1832 G. R. Porter Treat. Manuf. Porcelain & Glass (Lardner) 186 Crown glass is sold, according to its quality, under four different denominations—firsts, seconds, thirds, and fourths. 1887 Times 27 Aug. Butter:—Firsts, 119s.; seconds, 113s. 1903 Daily Chron. 21 Apr. 2/6 Cork butter.—Firsts, 86s.; seconds, 80s.; thirds, 78s. 1949 Billboard 26 Nov. 124/2 (advt.) Children's and infants [sic] socks, mixture of firsts and seconds, $1 dozen. 2007 Sunday Mail (S. Austral.) (Nexis) 25 Nov. h13 Q. What is Run of Kiln? A. This is when the manufacturer doesn't grade the tile at all. The seconds are mixed with the firsts. †c. Music. The upper melodic part in a composition. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > harmony or sounds in combination > [noun] > part in harmony or counterpoint > upper parts treblec1330 quiniblec1390 quatreblea1450 triple1600 triplum1626 superius1653 firsta1774 quintus1883 a1774 O. Goldsmith Surv. Exper. Philos. (1776) II. 159 The performers on glasses..who play firsts, seconds, and sometimes a base altogether. 1823 G. Crabb Universal Technol. Dict. First (Mus.), the upper part of a duett, trio [etc.]. d. British. A place in the top grade in an examination, especially that for a degree. Also: a person who has received the top grade in an examination for a degree. ΘΚΠ society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > marks > specific marks accessit1753 honour1774 credit1802 second class1810 firsta1830 first class1830 third class1844 Hons.1850 max1851 second1852 special mention1886 distinction?1890 A1892 E1892 pass mark1894 two-two1895 alpha1898 alpha plus1898 gamma1898 beta1902 delta1911 alpha minus1914 fourth1914 straight A1926 two-one1937 lower second1960 honourable mention2011 society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > candidates > who passes > passing at university firsta1830 poll1831 poll-man1834 honour man1839 passman1853 honours man1859 pass-woman1896 a1830 H. E. Manning Let. in E. S. Purcell Life Cardinal Manning (1895) I. iv. 55 I will try and take a First in this, if not in litteris humanioribus. 1840 A. H. Clough Diary 21 Nov. (1990) V. 148 Heard part of Congreve's viva voce... Congreve has got his first. 1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. I. iv. 64 He'll be a safe first, though I don't believe he reads more than you or I. 1885 M. Pattison Mem. 26 The men who got firsts would have done so equally at any college. 1925 W. Deeping Sorrell & Son xxiv. 229 I want a first in the Science Trip. 1943 P. Larkin Let. 18 July in Sel. Lett. (1992) 60 I simply must dance my little dance and tell you that I have got a FIRST in my Schools!! 1977 M. Frayn Donkeys' Years i, in Plays: One (1985) 103 You should have read History. You might have got a first. 2012 Independent 14 Jan. (Mag.) 46/4 He could have got a First, but the trouble with him was that he never allowed time for reflection. e. Music. In plural. The section of an orchestra or choir performing the highest or chief of two or more parts for the same instrument or voice. Cf. A. 1b. ΚΠ 1836 Musical World 23 Dec. 4 In difficult passages, the seconds take portions of the passage with the firsts, which renders the execution easier and more effective than if it were given to the firsts only. 1856 M. C. Clarke tr. H. Berlioz Treat. Mod. Instrumentation 178/2 The division of the basses into firsts and seconds (to avoid the high notes) is less necessary in rude and fierce accents. 1901 Musical Herald 1 Dec. 380/1 If you intend having only mandolines you should divide them so that about six play ‘seconds’ while the remainder are ‘firsts’—playing the melody. 1929 Musical Times Aug. 728/1 Questions of balance must be left until the choir has got under way: you can see where adjustment is necessary—e.g., by transferring a second bass to the firsts. 2013 C. Seaman Inside Conducting v. xxvii. 139 The idea that the second violins don't need to be as good as the firsts is a myth. f. The first place in a contest. ΚΠ 1838 Floricultural Cabinet May 98 I won three firsts and two thirds, and a Roi de Siam, which was unquestionably the finest bloom I staged, was stolen, during dinner, before it was judged. 1885 Cyclist 19 Aug. 1089/1 He..won four firsts and a second last week. 1897 Whitaker's Almanack 649/2 The Hester..was more successful in handicap matches, winning 5 firsts and 4 seconds. 1931 Lima (Ohio) News 11 May 11/6 Betteridge was high jump pointman, with 13 for firsts in the 220-yard run and broad jump and second in the 100. 1973 Country Life 15 Feb. 385/1 Miss S. G. Weall's fawn dog..collected two firsts and his litter sister..two seconds. 1998 Carriage Driving Aug. 19/2 Peter Clarke took first place, thereby breaking his ‘duck’—in 10 years he has never won a first at the BDS Show. g. A first edition. ΘΚΠ society > communication > book > edition > [noun] > first edition first edition1542 editio princeps1775 princeps1814 first1862 society > communication > printing > publishing > a publication > [noun] > issue or edition > first first1862 1862 G. Offor in J. Bunyan Whole Wks. I. p. iv The reader was perplexed among the mazes of firsts, seconds, and thirds. 1922 M. Sadleir Excurs. in Victorian Bibliogr. 6 I have contrived..to keep myself fairly supplied with ‘reading firsts’. 1924 G. M&c.Leish's Catal. 13 Essential to the collection of ‘modern firsts’. 1960 J. Betjeman Summoned by Bells vi. 58 Perhaps one day I'll find a ‘first’ of Keats. 1994 Bk. & Mag. Collector June 5/2 (caption) The Dashiell Hammett Omnibus..contains all five novels plus short stories, and makes an excellent alternative to the very expensive firsts. 2006 A. McCall Smith Right Attitude to Rain v. 55 Her collection of Andrew Lang was virtually complete, as was that of Graham Greene firsts. h. Baseball. First base. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > baseball > baseball ground > [noun] > base base1848 first base1848 second base1848 third base1848 second1861 first1864 bag1873 sack1914 1864 Brooklyn Daily Eagle 20 Sept. 2/6 A player in the habit of throwing from 3rd to 1st cannot measure his throwing well in any other position unless he practices for it. 1867 Advocate 24 May 89/1 Alline gets to first, and is brought home by an overthrow from Parker. 1894 N.Y. Tribune 17 June 16/6 One man was ‘coppered at first’ and another was ‘cinched at the plate’. 1900 G. Patten Rockspur Nine xxxiii. 282 In the eighth, Dennis Murphy led off for Rockspur, getting first on balls, and stealing second. 1935 J. T. Farrell Judgment Day viii. 185 A dumpy texas-leaguer over third base placed runners on first and second. 1980 R. Mayer 1937 Newark Bears vii. 86 With no outs and runners on first and third, McQuinn bounced a ball to the first baseman. 2004 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 17 Oct. viii. 10/4 Sometimes there's a pretty good base runner on first, and we might put a slide step on, and the pitcher throws a pitch that the hitter hits. i. A first-class railway carriage or compartment. ΘΚΠ society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > railway wagon or carriage > carriage designed to carry passengers > other types of passenger carriage caravan1821 private car1826 Jim Crow car1835 ladies' car1841 saloon car or carriage1842 palace car1844 ladies' carriage1847 parliamentary carriage1849 parlour car1859 composite carriage1868 Pullman1869 observation car1872 first1873 compo1878 bogie carriage1880 chair-car1880 club car1893 corridor carriage1893 tourist-car1895 birdcage1900 dog box1905 corridor coach1911 vista-dome1945 Stolypin1970 1873 Pop. Sci. Monthly June 188 You do not allow me to plead irresponsibility if I give the company bad money, or if, having bought a ticket for the second class, I travel in the first. 1885 Graphic 21 Feb. 174/2 In the railway train, we sit either in exclusive ‘swelldom’ in the first, or herd with ‘the vulgar’ in the third class. 1925 B. Travers Mischief iv The train arrived and Eleanor..was easily spotted, being alone in the firsts. 1971 ‘L. Black’ Death has Green Fingers ix. 100 I'm in a first, next carriage along the train. 1991 Model Railways Mar. 129/2 The Firsts were to be upholstered in blue cloth, the Seconds in ‘Kalemet’ whilst the Thirds were to be painted wood. j. In plural (frequently with the). The best or main team of a sports club; the first team. Cf. sense A. 1d. ΚΠ 1899 N.Y. Times 20 May 9/5 The competing teams were the firsts of the Meadow Brook Club and the Westchester Polo Club of Newport. 1903 P. Trevor Rugby Union Football ix. 80 Men boldly labelled themselves as members of the first or second fifteen. It was with the ‘firsts’ that Sandhurst and Woolwich were concerned. 1954 Irish Times 7 Dec. 2/7 The club can now field three full teams... Last weekend..their ‘firsts’ brought off their biggest success. 1996 Times 26 Oct. (1015 section) 7/1 With the Bristol University Firsts now a happy, back-slappy memory he is a salaried professional rugby player. 2013 L. Jobson Ride Tortoise 57 At half-time he tells me the first team goalie is injured. ‘Maybe I'll get to play for the firsts,’ says my boy. k. The first or lowest gear on a motor vehicle or bicycle. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > gear > specific gear bottom gear?1865 high gear1889 low gear1895 fourth1900 second gear1902 first gear1907 second1907 first1909 second speed1912 high1914 low1914 1909 J. S. V. Bickford Faults & how to find Them §1173 If, however, the change from first to second (not through the gate we are assuming) has to be done quickly, [etc.]. 1935 G. Heyer Death in Stocks iv. 40 Antonia slammed the gear-lever into first and started with a jerk. 1968 P. Dickinson Weathermonger vi. 66 He wrenched the gear into first and banged through, misjudging it slightly. 2005 L. Dean This Human Season (2006) xxxi. 199 She..shoved the gear stick into first and they careened down the hill. l. Originally U.S. The first known or discovered example or specimen of a thing; (now esp.) a first occurrence of something notable (frequently with for). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [noun] > first one > of its kind firstling1530 firsting1607 first1931 1931 F. Buck & E. Anthony Bring 'em back Alive 215 There is no bigger thrill in the game than bringing back rare ‘firsts’ [i.e. an animal that has not been seen alive before in the country to which it is brought]. 1949 Billboard 25 June 17/2 The auction idea..is a first for a record store, it's believed. 1955 Times 20 June 8/7 Another important French ‘first’ was the arrival of the Caravelle, the country's first jet airliner. 1963 J. F. Straker Final Witness iv. 48 ‘I'm sorry about that, Paul.’ That made another first: they had not used Christian names before. 1970 Guardian 27 Feb. 8/5 Those were days of high adventure: every programme was a first..breaking new ground. 2006 Bird Watching Aug. 99 Two firsts for the Channel Islands (Short-toed Eagle and Franklin's Gull) were recorded in a three-day purple patch mid-month. Phrases P1. In senses of the noun (chiefly forming adverbial phrases). †a. with the first: as one of the first, very early, chiefly, especially. Cf. mid the first at mid prep.¹ 7e. Obsolete. [Compare classical Latin cum prīmīs.] ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > pre-eminence > [adverb] highlyOE overalla1225 with the firstc1300 principally1340 principalc1390 in principala1393 chiefly14.. ratherestc1400 rathestc1400 primarily1587 kat' exochen1588 paravant1590 pre-eminently1590 primely1610 cardinally1631 transeminently1642 paramountly1798 par eminence1823 the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or extraordinary > especially or particularly [phrase] > especially or chiefly with the firstc1300 c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 1119 Quen so hende..Þu ȝef vs wiþ [Laud Myd] þe furste, Þe beggeres beoþ ofþurste. a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iv. l. 63 This þing a-noon was kouth in euery strete..And with þe firste it cam to Calkas ere. 1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry f. 21^v Who peskods delighteth, to haue with the furst, if now he do sowe them, I think it not wurst. 1611 J. Ussher Let. 4 Oct. in R. Parr Life J. Usher (1686) Coll. vii. 15 Of which we will not fail to certifie you with the first. 1621 T. Bedford Sinne unto Death 34 This is apprimè necessarium, necessary with the first. 1660 F. Brooke tr. V. Le Blanc World Surveyed 270 The servant..coming in with the first. 1748 S. Richardson Clarissa VI. lxxxiv. 308 Pray, when he does come, let me hear of it with the first. b. at first (also at the first (now rare)). †(a) At once, immediately. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > immediacy > [adverb] soonc825 ratheeOE rathelyeOE rekeneOE rekenlyOE thereright971 anonOE forth ona1000 coflyc1000 ferlyc1000 radlyOE swiftlyc1000 unyoreOE yareOE at the forme (also first) wordOE nowOE shortlya1050 rightOE here-rightlOE right anonlOE anonc1175 forthrightc1175 forthwithalc1175 skeetc1175 swithc1175 with and withc1175 anon-rightc1225 anon-rights?c1225 belivec1225 lightly?c1225 quickly?c1225 tidelyc1225 fastlyc1275 hastilyc1275 i-radlichec1275 as soon asc1290 aright1297 bedenea1300 in little wevea1300 withoute(n dwella1300 alrightc1300 as fast (as)c1300 at firstc1300 in placec1300 in the placec1300 mididonec1300 outrightc1300 prestc1300 streck13.. titec1300 without delayc1300 that stounds1303 rada1325 readya1325 apacec1325 albedenec1330 as (also also) titec1330 as blivec1330 as line rightc1330 as straight as linec1330 in anec1330 in presentc1330 newlyc1330 suddenlyc1330 titelyc1330 yernec1330 as soon1340 prestly1340 streckly1340 swithly?1370 evenlya1375 redelya1375 redlya1375 rifelya1375 yeplya1375 at one blastc1380 fresha1382 ripelyc1384 presentc1385 presently1385 without arrestc1385 readilyc1390 in the twinkling of a looka1393 derflya1400 forwhya1400 skeetlya1400 straighta1400 swifta1400 maintenantc1400 out of handc1400 wightc1400 at a startc1405 immediately1420 incontinent1425 there and then1428 onenec1429 forwithc1430 downright?a1439 agatec1440 at a tricec1440 right forth1440 withouten wonec1440 whipc1460 forthwith1461 undelayed1470 incessantly1472 at a momentc1475 right nowc1475 synec1475 incontinently1484 promptly1490 in the nonce?a1500 uncontinent1506 on (upon, in) the instant1509 in short1513 at a clap1519 by and by1526 straightway1526 at a twitch1528 at the first chop1528 maintenantly1528 on a tricea1529 with a tricec1530 at once1531 belively1532 straightwaysa1533 short days1533 undelayedly1534 fro hand1535 indelayedly1535 straight forth1536 betimesc1540 livelyc1540 upononc1540 suddenly1544 at one (or a) dash?1550 at (the) first dash?1550 instantly1552 forth of hand1564 upon the nines1568 on the nail1569 at (also in, with) a thoughtc1572 indilately1572 summarily1578 at one (a) chop1581 amain1587 straightwise1588 extempore1593 presto1598 upon the place1600 directly1604 instant1604 just now1606 with a siserary1607 promiscuously1609 at (in) one (an) instant1611 on (also upon) the momenta1616 at (formerly also on or upon) sight1617 hand to fist1634 fastisha1650 nextly1657 to rights1663 straightaway1663 slap1672 at first bolt1676 point-blank1679 in point1680 offhand1686 instanter1688 sonica1688 flush1701 like a thought1720 in a crack1725 momentary1725 bumbye1727 clacka1734 plumba1734 right away1734 momentarily1739 momentaneously1753 in a snap1768 right off1771 straight an end1778 abruptedly1784 in a whistle1784 slap-bang1785 bang?1795 right off the reel1798 in a whiff1800 in a flash1801 like a shot1809 momently1812 in a brace or couple of shakes1816 in a gird1825 (all) in a rush1829 in (also at, on) short (also quick) order1830 straightly1830 toot sweetc1830 in two twos1838 rectly1843 quick-stick1844 short metre1848 right1849 at the drop of a (occasionally the) hat1854 off the hooks1860 quicksticks1860 straight off1873 bang off1886 away1887 in quick sticks (also in a quick stick)1890 ek dum1895 tout de suite1895 bung1899 one time1899 prompt1910 yesterday1911 in two ups1934 presto changeo1946 now-now1966 presto change1987 the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > beginning > at the beginning [phrase] at firstc1300 at (also in) the first bruntc1450 at the first chop1528 at hand1558 at the first jump1577 at starting1674 c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 1191 Rymenhild sede at þe furste [Laud ate ferste, a1350 Harl. at þe firste] ‘Herte, nu þu berste.’ c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. vii. l. 159 And hoped aftur hunger þo þat herde him atte furste. 1567 G. Turberville tr. Ovid Heroycall Epist. 148 I knewe thy friendly fist at first. a1626 L. Andrewes 7 Serm. (1627) iv. 65 He bids them..but whistle for an Angell, and they will come at first. 1643 W. Prynne Soveraigne Power Parl. iii. 132 How little coherence there is in this Argument, the silliest childe may at first discern. 1662 tr. Ovid Remedy of Love in tr. Ovid De Arte Amandi sig. D6^v But come at first, for if you make delay,Your sickness will grow mortal by your stay. a1680 S. Charnock Several Disc. Existence of God (1682) 737 Some rise out of their..Beds..at the first,..others lie snorting longer. †(b) In the first place. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 46 Of þise zenne uondeþ þe dyeuel in vif maneres..Auerst ine fole ziȝþe, efterward ine fole wordes, [etc.]. a1425 (?c1384) J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 359 We graunten at þe firste, þat [etc.]. a1500 (?a1425) tr. Secreta Secret. (Lamb.) 103 Fyuetene Vertuez off a good Conseiller. At þe firste, þat he haue perfeccion of his membrys. †(c) First, for the first time. Obsolete. ΚΠ c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 3241 Þan at þe furste þe Assaut by-gan sterk & strait to be. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 1558 [An]d now at first wakkenes woghe. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 12605 Wid þe grete maistris þus he badd Till mari had hir iornai made, þan at þe frist on him toght scho. a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) i. l. 429 The rane-bow..Þan at þe first wes sene wiþ e [a1530 Royal ey]. 1682 T. Creech tr. Lucretius De natura rerum ii. 52 In Phrygia Corn at first took birth. 1704 E. Ward Revels of Gods 9 And where a drop lights, there arises a Vine; Thus Mortals below came at first by their Wine. 1776 T. Paine Common Sense 24 I should be glad to ask how they suppose kings came at first..? If the first king was taken by lot, it establishes a precedent. (d) At the beginning, at the first stage. Also at the very first. ΚΠ c1390 (?c1350) Joseph of Arimathie (1871) l. 553 (MED) Þei were weri offouȝten and feor ouer-charged, Of þe peple afurst and þe pres after. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) Prol. l. 522 What man wolde himself avise, His conscience and noght misuse, He may wel, ate ferste, excuse His god, which evere stant in on. c1456 R. Pecock Bk. Faith (Trin. Cambr.) (1909) 116 These bokis at first schulen be unsavery, thouȝ aftirward thei schulen be ful delectable. 1566 J. Rastell Treat.: Beware of M. Iewel ii. vii. sig. Xv Why plaie you the hypocrite so artificially, in keping that backe, which should haue ben at the very first Answered? 1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iv. f. 185 Their broode lyeth very small at the first. 1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. B4 This fruite was at first white. 1611 Bible (King James) John xii. 16 These things vnderstood not his disciples at the first . View more context for this quotation 1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 883 Why then Didst thou at first rec[e]ive me for thy husband? 1678 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 149 I was afraid on't at the very first. 1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 455. ¶3 I am no more delighted with it than I was at the very first. 1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 23/1 He was at first very ill, then got better. 1814 M. Edgeworth Patronage I. xiii. 356 He was very free of his money, and generous to Kate at the first. 1845 M. Pattison in Christian Remembrancer Jan. 83 The assurance he had at first displayed, was now succeeded by an air of embarrassment. 1869 C. Boutell tr. J. P. Lacombe Arms & Armour xi. 216 At the first they made petards with it. 1922 V. Woolf Jacob's Room ii. 22 At first, part of herself; now one of a company. 1967 G. Greene Root of all Evil in May we borrow your Husband 174 Puckler, who had been hit on the shoulder with a rolling-pin, did not at first run away. 1993 A. L. Kennedy Looking for Possible Dance 42 Margaret's hair was long, almost as long as it had been at the very first when she'd asked if her daddy would let her have it cut. 2012 J. Díaz in New Yorker 4 June 110/2 Because of the weak light I didn't get a good look at first. †c. Scottish. in the first: in the first place. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1399 in Rec. Parl. Scotl. to 1707 (2007) 1399/1/3 With the consail of wyse men and lele..: in the firste the duc of Albany. 1538 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1905) VI. 413 Item in the first, bocht to his grace iij^xx vj bersis of irne. 1603 in W. Fraser Memorials Montgomeries (1859) II. 245 Item, in the frist, gifin forten quarteris of tefeni..iiij s. d. (a) from first to last: from beginning to end, throughout. Also † from the first to the last (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > beginning > at the beginning [phrase] > from the beginning from first to last1536 ab origine1537 ab ovoa1586 ab initio1600 from the word go1834 from the jump1848 from the get-go1960 from (also since) day dot1964 the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > thoroughly > from beginning to end or through and through to the boneOE through and throughc1225 out and outc1300 from top to tail1303 out and inc1390 (from) head to heel (also heels)c1400 (from) head to foot (also feet)c1425 from top to (into, unto) toec1425 to the skin1526 to one's (also the) finger (also fingers') ends1530 from first to last1536 up and down1542 whole out1562 to the pith1587 to the back1594 from A to (also until) Z1612 from clew to earing1627 from top to bottom1666 back and edge1673 all hollow1762 (all) to pieces1788 from A to Za1821 to one's (also the) fingertips1825 to one's fingernails1851 from tip to toe1853 down to the ground1859 to the backbone1864 right the way1867 pur sang1893 from the ground up1895 in and out1895 from soda (card) to hock1902 1536 J. Gwynneth Confut. Fyrst Parte Frythes Boke sig. f They do apertely perceyue, his hole euyl all togyther, from the fyrst, as who say, to the last. 1567 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure II. f. 245^v Forth with I will disclose from first to last the entire discourse of this pitifull tragedie. 1649 Kingdomes Weekly Intelligencer No. 296. 1240 The whole triall of the King from the first to the last. 1770 in F. Chase Hist. Dartmouth College (1891) I. 149 It can't prosper,..it's all a jockey trick from first to last. 1809 European Mag. July 11/2 England has seldom witnessed such scenes of fraud and peculation as occurred from the first to the last, in the valuation of ecclesiastical property in the periods alluded to. 1852 G. Grote Hist. Greece IX. ii. lxxii. 254 The mainstay of the Thirty from first to last. 1893 Strand Mag. 6 473/1 Mr. Gladstone was..in his place from first to last. 1954 I. Murdoch Under Net (1960) 58 From first to last, it was Hugo, not I who conducted the conversation. 2000 Oldie Dec. 60 Unfortunately there isn't a decent song from first to last, which is a bit of a drawback in a musical. (b) from the (very) first: from the beginning, at the outset, to start with. ΚΠ 1611 Bible (King James) Luke i. 3 Hauing had perfect vnderstanding of things from the very first . View more context for this quotation 1740 H. Bracken Farriery Improv'd (ed. 2) II. i. 18 Their Practice from the first, is ill grounded. 1741 C. Middleton Hist. Life Cicero (1742) II. vii. 266 I..who from the very first have always been the adviser of peace. 1804 W. Wilberforce Let. 29 Sept. in J. Aitken Eng. Lett. XIX Cent. (1946) 28 B.'s first letter would convey the idea of his having had in his mind from the very first the..plan. 1854 C. Dickens Hard Times iii. viii. 339 I have suspected young Mr. Tom of this bank-robbery from the first. 1885 Manch. Evening News 16 July 3/1 The disaffected section..made a dead set against him from the first. 1917 J. London Michael Brother of Jerry xi. 85 And Michael, who with a single careless paw-stroke could have broken Cocky's slender neck.., was careful of him from the first. 1946 C. Bush Case Second Chance ii. 21 From the very first she struck me as well up to her job as cook-housekeeper. 2005 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 24 Feb. 6/2 The sponsoring body..had insisted from the first that it was conducting not a competition but an Innovative Design Study. †e. first and last: all, one and all. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > [noun] > the generality > each and every one thing each oneOE everya1250 still and boldc1300 all and somea1350 all and somea1350 one and all (also all and one)a1400 all and sundry1428 all the sort of1535 every or each several?a1562 first and last1582 each and singular1668 all and singular1669 every man jack1807 1582 T. Bentley Seuenth Lampe Virginitie in Sixt Lampe Virginitie 261 Her accusers both eldest and youngest, first and last, secretly withdrew themselues one by one. 1590 R. Harvey Plaine Percevall sig. B^v First and last, helpe, quench all. 1699 Guide Juries 9 By the Law of Juries 24 Men in all, first and last, find one Guilty, &c. before the Judgement can be given. f. first of exchange n. Finance the first of a set of bills of exchange of even tenor and date.The ellipsis of bill is common to all the European languages; but the phrase is often written in full, both in English and in the other languages. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > promissory notes or bills of exchange > [noun] > first of a set first of exchange1671 1671 On Tryal between Letten & Moresco 9 At double Usance pay this my first of Exchange to Mr. A. B. five hundred Crowns at 56 d. per Crown value. 1799 A. J. Dallas Rep. Cases U.S. & Pennsylvania 3 365 He requested the said Donald & Burton at 60 days sight of that his first of exchange (his second and third not paid) to pay to the order of Mr. Hector Kennedy, £770. sterling. 1809 R. Langford Introd. Trade 27 Three months after date, pay this my first of Exchange (second and third not paid) to the order of Mr. R. Rich. 1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking v. 137 In case of delay of the arrival of a first of exchange. 1922 E. S. Furniss Foreign Exchange vii. 175 In ordinary practice one of the duplicate bills of exchange is attached to each set of shipping documents and is stamped, in order of drawing, first of exchange, second of exchange, third of exchange. 1980 D. Kobrin & V. Stott Negotiable Instruments ii. 12 Sixty days after sight pay this first of exchange (second and third of the same tenor and date being unpaid) to the order of Cain, the sum of eight hundred pounds. P2. In senses of the adverb. a. †both first and last: at all times, from start to finish (obsolete). first and last: taking one thing with another, at one time and another, reckoned altogether, in all. first or last: at one time or another, sooner or later (now rare). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > the whole or all > that is all or the whole [phrase] > in all or altogether by numbera1375 in numbera1375 in allc1380 first and lastc1390 all wholea1393 in companya1393 in sum1399 full and whole1402 in great1421 whole and somec1425 in (the) whole1432 one with another1436 in (the) hale1437 all in great1533 up and down1562 one and other1569 in (the) aggregate1644 all told1814 the world > time > relative time > different time > [adverb] > at some future time or one day yeteOE hereafter1154 hereafterwardc1386 sometimec1386 oncea1393 whiloma1400 rather or latera1450 one of these daysa1470 one day1477 umquhile1489 in timea1500 with time?1531 sooner or later1577 odd shortly1681 some summer's day1697 first or last1700 some of these (‥) days1831 someday1898 down the road (also track)1924 the world > time > particular time > [adverb] > at some time somewhilea1240 somewhilec1250 somewhen1297 sometime1600 first and last1719 one of these fine days1762 some fine day1762 somewhere along the line1962 c1390 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) 717 Þis gode comunes..Meyntened þe werre boþ furst & last. c1450 (?a1422) J. Lydgate Life Our Lady (Durh.) vi. 66 Of her wombe, the cloyster virgynall Was euere liche, bothe firste and laste Closed and shette as castell principall. a1500 in T. Wright & J. O. Halliwell Reliquiæ Antiquæ (1845) I. 205 Aqueyntanse of lordschip wyll y noght, For furste or laste dere hit woll be bowght. 1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. clxxxxv^v For it hath be sene is sene, and euer shall That first or last foule pryde wyll haue a fall. 1678 Lady Chaworth in 12th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1890) App. v. 45 Lord Shrewsbery is like to marry Mr. Chiffens his daughter who will be first and last made worth 40,000l. to him. 1687 tr. J. B. Bossuet Conf. with Mr. Claude 21 The Decision wholly appertain'd to GODs Word alone, which the Church in her Assemblies both first and last did but shew and point to. 1699 W. Dampier Voy. & Descr. ii. i. 2 The Bay of Campeachy, where I lived first and last about 3 Years. 1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Palamon & Arcite ii, in Fables 38 And all are Fools and Lovers, first or last. 1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 64 I brought away all the Sails first and last. 1800 H. L. Piozzi Jrnl. 2 May in E. M. Bell Hamwood Papers (1930) xiii. 315 I brought their Papa more than £20,000 first and last, as the Phrase is. 1823 London Mag. Feb. 183 Truth is immutable, as the schools say; so 'tis all one, first or last. 1853 T. De Quincey Autobiogr. Sketches in Select. Grave & Gay I. 2 First and last, we counted as eight children..though never counting more than six living at once. 1941 W. Lewis Vulgar Streak i. iv. 33 Westminster and New College Oxford. The jack that's been spent on you first and last, to make you what you are! 2010 Farmer's Weekly 26 Mar. 3/3 The management teams of farmer-owned businesses must never again lose sight of the fact that they are owned by and accountable to farmers first and last. b. first and foremost: firstly and most importantly, before and above all else. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adverb] > first of all firstlOE first and forward1362 first and foremostc1400 first of alla1522 c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xix. l. 116 Þat she furste & formest ferme shulde bilieue. 1583 G. Babington Very Fruitfull Expos. Commaundem. v. 212 First and formest..let them [etc.]. 1630 R. Norton tr. W. Camden Hist. Princesse Elizabeth i. 129 She wished them, first and foremost to get the Queenes assent. 1742 H. Fielding & W. Young tr. Aristophanes Plutus i. i. 7 Come on; you, Sir, first and foremost, tell us who you are. 1874 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. I. xii. 492 Consent of the historians..makes him, first and foremost, a legislator. 1913 V. Steer Romance of Cinema 112 First and foremost the cinema show is a means of amusement. 2007 R. Lovegrove Silent Fields vii. 238 Weasels..are first and foremost farmland animals. c. first catch your —— and variants: used as an instruction for, or ironic comment on, the (often difficult) preliminary step of a process. Cf. first catch your hare at hare n. 2. [Often thought to be in imitation of first catch your hare (and variants), but this is not recorded until 1806. Compare c1300 Bracton De Legibus Angliae iv. xxi.vulgariter dicitur, quod primo opportet cervum capere, & postea cum captus fuerit illum excoriare, ‘it is commonly said that one must first catch the deer, and afterwards, when he has been caught, skin him’.] ΚΠ 1797 Monthly Rev. May 117 This mode of precept reminds us of a recipe in an old book on the art of cookery:—how to dress a dolphin, ‘First catch a dolphin,’ &c. 1815 W. Irving Let. 21 July (1978) I. 402 As yet they have not observed the first direction in the famous receipt to cook a Turbot—‘first catch your Turbot’. 1912 Science 4 Oct. 422/2 You must first catch your comet before you can make comet investigations. a1966 M. Allingham Cargo of Eagles (1968) xx. 222 ‘The problem,’ continued Mr. Campion, ‘might be summed up as “First catch your Eagle”.’ 1995 Independent on Sunday 15 Jan. 28/1 First catch your flatworm. Losing no time, the Captain has spoken to the country's worm charmers. 2008 D. Veart (title) First catch your weka: the story of New Zealand cooking. d. first come, first served. (a) As proverbial phrase. [Compare he that comes first to the mill grinds first at mill n.¹ Phrases 1] . ΚΠ ?1542 H. Brinkelow Complaynt Roderyck Mors xvii. sig. E3 First come, first serued: so one or ij. shal be all payed, and the rest shal haue nothyng. 1632 P. Massinger Maid of Honour i. ii. sig. C3 And you know First come first seru'd. 1785 J. O'Keeffe Fontainbleau iii. 60 First come first served, as father says to his customers in the shop at home. 1860 Macmillan's Mag. June 113 The sailors..rushed away to the boat. First come, first in. 1887 Times (Weekly ed.) 24 June 7/4 It was..a case of first come, first served. 1934 R. Riskin It Happened One Night in Six Screenplays (1997) 223 Ellie. Are those seats reserved? Driver. No. First come, first served. 1960 ‘J. Winton’ We saw Sea i. 8 ‘Tell you what Hogg, if there's a chance of a destroyer in the next few days I'll give you first shot at it. How's that?’.. ‘Good, first come first served.’ 2005 Rhythm Feb. 5/2 It's first come, first served, so get your skates on. (b) attributive: used to indicate that people will be dealt with strictly in the order in which they arrive or apply. ΚΠ 1845 N.Y. Herald 31 Aug. The ‘first come first served’ principle will be established. 1888 Parl. Deb. 3rd. Ser. 331 174 The Commissioners..instead of adopting the ‘first come, first served’ principle, should advance the money, on adequate security, to resident tenants. 1910 Inland Storekeeper Sept. 452/2 The plates will be given on the ‘first-come, first served’ basis. 1960 R. B. Gregg Power of Nonviolence (ed. 2) i. 38 Passengers were seated on a first-come, first-served basis. 2011 Daily Tel. 29 July 3/6 Visitors to Clarence House..will be allowed in on a first come, first served basis. e. first in, first out. (a) (The principle that) the first one to arrive is the first one to leave. ΚΠ 1839 Army & Navy Chron. 5 Sept. 150/1 The language usually held in other kinds of fancy scavengering, ‘First in first out’, obtains no degree in this; the maxim having been supplanted by..‘having got once got your hands in, there stick’. 1877 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 16 Aug. The running rule is first in first out; sometimes on one division, sometime on another. 1940 Railroad Mag. Apr. 40/2 Chain gang , crew assigned to pool service, working first in, first out. 1977 E. Ambler Send no More Roses v. 89 It's to be first in, first out, with a points bonus for every month of overseas service. 2000 M. Thomas in M. Seear Man. Trop. Pediatrics xxi. 401/2 New items must be placed behind the existing stock to ensure correct rotation—first in first out. (b) Economics. = fifo n. 1. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > [adjective] > relating to accounting methods first in, first out1934 fifo1945 LIFO1945 add-back1954 society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > [adverb] > designating accounting method first in, first out1934 1934 Jrnl. Accountancy Nov. 344 Shall cost be on the basis of ‘first in, first out’? 1936 N. L. Burton Introd. Cost Accounting vii. 109 When the first-in, first-out method is used, goods received are entered at actual cost—invoice price plus freight, etc.… Subsequent issues are priced at the cost of the second shipment received. 1965 Economist 31 July 470/2 Most companies in this country use the first-in-first-out (FIFO) system [of stocktaking]. 2002 E. McLaney & P. Atrill Accounting (rev. ed.) iii. 79 Using the first in, first out approach, the first 9,000 tonnes of coal are assumed to be those that are sold and the remainder will comprise the closing stock. (c) Computing. (Designating, relating to, or involving) a procedure in which the first item removed from a buffer, queue, etc., is the one that has been in it the longest. Abbreviated FIFO: see fifo n. 2. Cf. last adv., adj., and n.⁴ Phrases 2c(c). ΘΚΠ society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [noun] > set of instructions > FIFO or LIFO fifo1966 first in, first out1966 LIFO1968 society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [adjective] > sets of instructions > FIFO or LIFO fifo1966 first in, first out1966 LIFO1968 1966 IBM Systems Jrnl. 5 84 Another Class-1 algorithm, called fifo (first in, first out), has been investigated. fifo always replaces the block having spent the longest time in memory. 1973 P. B. Hansen Operating Syst. Princ. v. 188 The simplest replacement algorithm is first-in, first-out, which is used in the B5500 system. 1995 G. King Understanding & Designing Computer Networks 200 Spooling is a queue process, based on a first in, first out system. 2008 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 366 662 The ALU switches between at least two arithmetic functions and..a small FIFO (first in, first out memory buffer). f. first of all: before anything else, in the first place. Cf. alder-first at alder- prefix 1a. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > preceding or following in order > precede or follow in order [phrase] > firstly first and forward1362 first of alla1522 first and foremost1552 the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > [adverb] > first of all firstlOE first and forward1362 first and foremostc1400 first of alla1522 a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1957) ii. iii. 147 And, first of all, the mannakillis and hard bandis Chargit he lows of this ilk mannis handis. 1553 T. Wilson Arte Rhetorique (1580) 5 [He] must fasten his mynde firste of all, upon these five especiall pointes. a1648 G. Gillespie Usefull Case of Conscience (1649) 25 To declare, first of all that the expectation of death..doth not shake me from the Faith and Truth of Christ. 1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 89. ¶4 First of all I would have them seriously think on the Shortness of their Time. 1866 Rural Amer. (Utica, N.Y.) 1 Aug. 226/3 We must look, first of all, to lime and marl as the basis of all permanent improvement. 1937 D. L. Sayers Busman's Honeymoon 23 I put it down first of all to the effect of gold lamé, but on consideration, I think it was probably due to ‘lerve.’ 2010 M. D. Kavanwal Awry in Arabia iv. 75 First of all, I cannot support you dating a married man. It's wrong. g. colloquial (chiefly North American). first off: as a first point, firstly; on first consideration; from the start. ΚΠ 1867 A. Cary Bishop's Son v. 100 Why, you are the one to crawl in after the varmint! 'Cause you're slim, first off, and next off, 'cause maybe the critter'll bite you. 1880 ‘M. Twain’ Tramp Abroad xx. 193 First-off, I thought it would certainly give me the botts. 1891 ‘L. Malet’ Wages of Sin II. v. i. 181 What anger is not righteous first off in the estimate of the enraged one? 1897 W. D. Howells Landlord Lion's Head 445 First off, you know, I thought I'd sell to the other feller. 1910 W. M. Raine Bucky O'Connor 39 Four's right. First off Neil, then the fellow I took to be the Wolf. 1915 Nation (N.Y.) 10 June 646/1 Men of science..no longer admit first off what simple good sense shows to us. 1963 F. C. Crews Pooh Perplex (1979) 66 Let's see—I guess first off I should tell you that Al's book was for kids, I mean originally, before us longhairs got on to it. 2010 J. McGregor Even Dogs (2011) iii. 90 There's a patch in the underpass we'll try first off,..should get enough for the first bag of the day. h. colloquial (originally Australian). first up: from the start; first of all, firstly. Also as adj.: (chiefly Australian and New Zealand) first, first-time. ΚΠ 1910 Referee (Sydney) 13 July 4/4 He went straight in and tried to win first up, but Murray revels in hitting and swapping punches is just his game. 1920 Geraldton (Austral.) Guardian 17 June Jockey Biglands rode a winner first up in Adelaide on Saturday week, and repeated the dose at Canning Park on Saturday. 1973 Nation Rev. (Melbourne) 31 Aug. 1462/1 Sponsoring..the first up efforts of young novelists and poets. 1977 N.Z. Herald 5 Jan. 10/3 She has been disappointing in two starts since she won first-up for the season at Pukekohe on December 4. 1996 Dominion (Wellington, N.Z.) (Electronic ed.) 22 Jan. 17 His form since a first-up win does not read well but trainer Colin Jillings said he suffered a virus after his second run. 2009 S. Mlynowski Parties & Potions 307 First up, we practice the opening march. P3. In senses of the adjective. a. court of first resort: see court of first resort n. at resort n. Phrases 1c. b. in the first place: see place n.¹ 17. c. of the first order: excellent or considerable of its kind. [Compare Middle French, French du premier ordre (mid 15th cent. or earlier in this sense).] ΚΠ 1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions viii. sig. L. iiij The Sages (whiche other calle Philosophers) ware of the first ordre, or state: the whiche although thei ware in nombre feawer then any of the rest: yet ware thei in honour and dignitie aboute the kyng, farre aboue all other. 1794 E. Burke Let. 14 Sept. in Corr. (1844) IV. 236 Three or four of the senior fellows are men of the first order. 1895 Bookman Oct. 33/1 A diplomatist of the first order. 1922 ‘Sapper’ Black Gang xiv. 217 The whole thing is a boss shot of the first order. 1962 I. Murdoch Unofficial Rose xvii. 164 Felix regarded Randall as a four-letter man of the first order. 2008 Atlantic Monthly Dec. 83/2 Man's descent from the trees and adoption of the brilliant mechanics of bipedalism were innovation and progress of the first order. d. (the) first thing: see thing n.¹ Phrases 5. e. (to put or do) first things first: (to give) first place to the most important things. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > firstness > first things first [phrase] (to put or do) first things first1830 1830 Christian Observer July 392/1 There is a sound common-sense maxim, frequently heard among the wise and prudent of this world—first things first. 1894 G. Jackson (title) First things first; addresses to young men. 1920 W. Riley Yorkshire Suburb 136 The dear lady was..incapable..of putting first things first. 1931 News Chron. 28 Apr. 3/3 ‘First things first’ must be the guiding principle. 1961 L. van der Post Heart of Hunter xviii. 245 The lion's sense of first-things-first decides the issue: it will go to the water before it eats. 1971 Scope (S. Afr.) 19 Mar. 124/4 Let's do first things first. 2006 J. Walters Maggie's Tree 223 But first things first. I'm beginning to feel a bit lagged, so I think if we're going to go out and eat, we should think about making a move. f. Originally U.S. not to know the first thing about: not to know even the elements or rudiments of. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > want of knowledge, ignorance > unfamiliarity with, inexperience > lack skill or experience [verb] unknowa1382 seeka1529 not to know the first thing about1856 not to have a clue1948 not to have a scooby1993 1856 Western Border Life xvi. 163 Well, now, Miss Fanny, you see you don't know the first thing about it. 1911 Pop. Mech. Mar. 163/1 (advt.) It makes no difference if you don't know the first thing about boat building. 1935 Punch 24 July 97/3 But I couldn't start up the car. I don't know the first thing about car-engines. 1976 T. Stoppard Dirty Linen 41 You see, you don't know the first thing about journalism. 2002 D. Verton Hacker Diaries i. 7 The system administrator was a complete poser who didn't know the first thing about securing the system. g. at, on, etc. (the) first blush: see blush n. 2. at (the) first dash: see dash n.¹ 2. at (also in, on, upon) (the) first face: see face n. Phrases 8a(b). at first gaze: see gaze n. 3a. at the first push: see push n.² 1a. at (the, as to the) first sight: see sight n.¹ 6a. love at first sight: see love n.¹ Phrases 8. Compounds C1. Compounds of the adjective. a. In attributive uses of collocations of the adjective with a noun, as first-quality, first-stage, etc.See also the attributive and adjectival uses of items in sense Compounds 1b(b); see also first aid adj., first base n., first class adj., First-day adj. and n. Compounds, first hand adj., first line adj., first name adj., first-order adj., first person adj., first rate adj., First World adj.first cause, chop, cousin, generation, intention, magnitude, mover, oar(s), pedal, person, post, principle, water, year, etc.: see the nouns. ΚΠ 1771 R. B. Sheridan in Plays & Poems (1928) III. 123 But you, Hal, have heard out first quality praters. 1842 Punch 2 12 December... First-session pupils receive turkeys from their friends in the country. 1858 Hutchings' Calif. Mag. Aug. 315/2 I didn't git into New York till every first-cabin ticket had been sold. 1892 W. W. Greener Breech-loader 174 Loaded with first quality powder. 1904 Westm. Gaz. 28 May 2/3 First-category Cossacks of the Chitinsk, Argunsk, and Veckhni Udinsk regiments. 1905 Westm. Gaz. 14 Mar. 12/1 Any privileges which go with a first-cabin ticket. 1906 Daily Chron. 21 July 1/7 The third best first-wicket stand on record. 1906 Westm. Gaz. 24 Aug. 4/2 The nests which are marked and inspected by way of tests are always first-brood nests. 1909 Daily Chron. 23 July 6/7 Suitable employment, treatment &c., for first-stage patients. 1939 Sporting News 10 Aug. 1/2 The Reds lost four and a half games from their first-place margin. 1967 Boston Sunday Herald 26 Mar. ii. 1/5 The Celtics went up 2–0 on New York in their best-of-five first-round Eastern Division playoffs. 2011 New Yorker 21 Mar. 14/1 The eminent poet J. D. McClatchy, American opera's first-call librettist. b. (a) first beginner n. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > causation > initiating or causing to begin > [noun] > initiator openerOE first beginninga1382 first beginner?1473 starter1662 initiator1676 mover1873 launcher1897 initiand1969 ?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) I. lf. 4 He was laweful sone of Ether sone of demorgorgon the old dweller of the Caues of archade and first begynner of þ^e fals paynems goddes. 1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. vi. 81 He calleth him the Firstbeginner. 1976 New Scientist 19 Feb. 409/4 It is..one of the better introductions to the subject for the first beginner. first beginning n. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > causation > initiating or causing to begin > [noun] > initiator openerOE first beginninga1382 first beginner?1473 starter1662 initiator1676 mover1873 launcher1897 initiand1969 a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Exod. xxxiv. 22 In þe first bygynnyng [L. in primitiis] of fruytes of þi whete heruest. ?a1450 (?c1400) Lay Folks' Catech. (Lamb.) (1901) 59 Loke þou withstande sadly þe furst begynnynge of þe temptacoun of þe fend. 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) v. l. 121 Richt in the first begynnyng, Newly at his ariwyng. 1864 H. A. J. Munro tr. Lucretius De Rerum Natura I. i. 3 I..will open up the first-beginnings of things. 1987 A. Hultkrantz Native Relig. N. Amer. ii. 21 Most North American Indians consider that human existence was designed by the creator divinities of the ‘first beginning’. first-comer n. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [noun] > one who goes first or predecessor ancestorc1300 foreganger1340 before-goerc1384 antecessora1387 predecessora1387 oldersc1450 precessor1454 forn-goer1483 before-gangerc1520 Adam1553 foregoer1556 preventer1598 forerunnera1616 decessor1647 first-comer1690 precursor1792 1690 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding iv. xix. 360 'Tis not strange, that the Mind should..render it self to the first Comer. 1732 H. Baker & J. Miller tr. Molière Misanthrope ii. i. 51 in Sel. Comedies VI Your Humour, Madam, opens too easy an Access in your Heart to the First-comer. a1861 T. Winthrop Canoe & Saddle (1863) xiii. 293 There was the sutler's shop near the shore, and, grouped about it, tents of the first-comers of the overland emigration. 1868 J. R. Lowell Shakespeare Once More in N. Amer. Rev. Apr. 640 The privilege which only first-comers enjoy. 1880 Libr. Universal Knowl. X. 368 The foundling named by the first-comer. 2009 A. S. Byatt Children's Bk. (2010) iv. 40 The firstcomers..were the Russian anarchists. first running n. ΚΠ 1764 S. Foote Patron ii. 32 When..the sprightly first-runnings of life are rack'd off, you offer the vapid dregs to your deity. 1994 Ale St. News Apr. 22/3 Once the first runnings have drained out, it's time to start the process of rinsing the rest of the sugars out of the mash. (b) first among equals n. and adj. (a) n. the most senior or prominent person or thing in a group whose members share the same formal rank or status; (b) adj.designating such a person or thing (only in predicative use). [After post-classical Latin primus inter pares adj.] ΚΠ 1711 P. Abercromby Martial Atchievem. Scots Nation I. ii. ii. 425 He is..the Primate of the Christian Church, the Moderator of their General Assemblies, the first among Equals. 1787 J. Adams Def. Constit. Govt. U.S.A. I. xliii. 240 Tisamenus..was first among equals at least. 1823 W. Tudor Life J. Otis xl. 151 This religious society..was generally considered the first among equals, of all the congregational churches. 1894 Yorks. Herald 16 Mar. 4/4 He would not there have found himself so indisputably first among equals as he is in the Lower House. 1934 P. J. Eikeland et al. Ibsen Stud. 50 The king in his relations to the other chieftains within his domain was..to be considered as the first among equals (primus inter pares). 1971 J. I. Coffey Strategic Power & National Security iv. 47 Many Americans have insisted that the United States be at least ‘first among equals’ insofar as strategic power is concerned. 2001 Nation (N.Y.) 29 Jan. 21/2 Although the legislature..and the judges..bear some responsibility for this explosive change, the vast discretionary powers of the prosecutors..make them first among equals. 2013 New Yorker 7 Jan. 70/2 A stunning array of Malevich's..paintings affirms him as the first among equals. first ascent n. the ascent of a particular mountain for the first time. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > mountaineering or climbing > [noun] > ascent of specific mountain for the first time first ascent1823 1823 Derby Mercury 22 Oct. The details of their first ascent [sc. Zumstein and Vincent's ascent of Monte Rosa] are to be found in the 25th volume of The Memoirs of the Academy of Turin. 1864 Alpine Jrnl. 1 207 We have received a little book narrating the first ascents of these almost unknown peaks, by two accomplished Swiss gentlemen. 1935 D. Pilley Climbing Days xvi. 321 Recent chronicles of the French Alpine Club are filled annually with notes of his First Ascents and other exploits. 1998 On the Edge June 30/1 First ascents on Baffin Island, in Patagonia and on Greenland..put Jerry amongst the top few big wallers in Britain. First Australian n. and adj. (also with lower-case initial) Australian (a) n.(usually in plural) a member of an Australian Aboriginal people. (b) adj. of, relating to, or designating Australian Aboriginal people. ΚΠ 1920 Evening News (Sydney) 27 Dec. 7/6 The First Australians. The Aborigine Protection Board reports that extensive repairs have been effected at the Aboriginal Boys' Home. 1933 Sydney Morning Herald 28 Nov. 8/5 The coloured Australian regiments would become more and more popular with the first Australians. 1952 Courier–Mail (Brisbane) 28 Aug. 2/4 Our First Australian children are in for a new deal. For the first time a complete set of reading primers has been written..for aborigines. 1965 G. McInnes Road to Gundagai 124 Doctor Uniapon is head of the Leper Mission at Yarrabunga in the Northern Territory. He is also one of the First Australians. 2012 Daily Mercury (Mackay, Queensland) (Nexis) 5 Mar. 9 Let's give some of the young First Australian men and women from communities like Alice Springs..a chance to join the industry. † first birth n. [originally after post-classical Latin primogenitus, adjective and noun (see primogenit n.)] Obsolete a firstborn child; also (in singular or plural) the privileges of the firstborn child; also figurative. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > [noun] > first-born child firstbornc1350 first-begottenc1384 first birtha1387 forbirtha1400 forthbirtha1400 primitivec1400 primogenitc1429 first-begot1551 primogeniture1596 society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > [noun] > hereditary > right of primogeniture birtha1325 firme birtha1325 first birtha1387 first-birth right1535 right of primogeniture1602 primogeniture1614 primogenitivea1616 primogenitureship1622 ploughman's fee1660 majorat1827 the world > existence and causation > causation > source or origin > [noun] welleOE mothereOE ordeOE wellspringeOE fathereOE headeOE oreOE wellspringOE rootc1175 morea1200 beginningc1200 head wella1325 sourcec1374 principlea1382 risinga1382 springinga1382 fountain14.. springerc1410 nativity?a1425 racinea1425 spring1435 headspring?a1439 seminaryc1440 originationc1443 spring wellc1450 sourdre1477 primordialc1487 naissance1490 wellhead?1492 offspringa1500 conduit-head1517 damc1540 springhead1547 principium1550 mint1555 principal1555 centre1557 head fountain1563 parentage1581 rise1589 spawna1591 fount1594 parent1597 taproot1601 origin1604 fountainhead1606 radix1607 springa1616 abundary1622 rist1622 primitive1628 primary1632 land-spring1642 extraction1655 upstart1669 progenerator1692 fontala1711 well-eye1826 first birth1838 ancestry1880 Quelle1893 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 301 Þe furste burþe [L. primogenita] of hem were special profiȝtes and worschippes to the eldest sones. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. ix. xxxi. 546 Þe vertue of þe aungel þat slouȝ þe firste burþis were wiþstonde þerby. a1500 (?c1425) Speculum Sacerdotale (1936) 90 In the Olde Testament and in the olde lawe it was commaundid for to yeve teþyngis and also prymycies, scilicet, yche firste birthe. 1527 Caxton's Trevisa's Higden ii. xi. 69 Jacob..had boughte the firste byrthes and slyly geten his faders blessynge. 1654 J. Ellistone & J. Sparrow tr. J. Böhme Mysterium Magnum liii. 382 Unless it did..forsake the firstbirth of the creature..; and give over the dominion and will of life, to the spirit of Christ in this heavenly pottage. 1838 J. C. Hare & A. W. Hare Guesses at Truth (ed. 2) 1st Ser. 51 Those twin firstbirths of Poetry. † first-birth right n. Obsolete the privileges of the firstborn child. ΘΚΠ society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > [noun] > hereditary > right of primogeniture birtha1325 firme birtha1325 first birtha1387 first-birth right1535 right of primogeniture1602 primogeniture1614 primogenitivea1616 primogenitureship1622 ploughman's fee1660 majorat1827 1535 Bible (Coverdale) (Deut. xxi. C) He shall knowe the sonne of the hated [wife] for y^e first sonne, so that he geue him dubble of all that is at hande: for..the firstbyrth righte is his. 1650 J. Trapp Clavis to Bible (Gen. xxxviii. 27) 299 Then came forth Perez..who took the first-birth-right and kingdom by force. first blood n. the blood of either of the combatants drawn first in a fight; (figurative) the first point or advantage gained in a contest. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > boxing > [noun] > actions or positions first bloodc1540 guard1601 feint1684 in holds1713 shifting1793 rally1805 muzzler1811 one-two1811 stop1812 southpaw1813 fibbing1814 leveller1814 mouther1814 ribber1814 stomacher1814 teller1814 in-fighting1816 muzzling1819 weaving1821 out-fighting1831 arm guard1832 countering1858 counter1861 clinching1863 prop1869 clinch1875 right and left1887 hook-hit1890 hook1898 cross1906 lead1906 jolt1908 swing1910 body shot1918 head shot1927 bolo punch1950 snap-back1950 counterpunch1957 counterpunching1957 Ali shuffle1966 rope-a-dope1975 c1540 J. Bellenden tr. H. Boece Hyst. & Cron. Scotl. viii. xxxix. f. 100^v/1 The Saxonis traistyng al thingis y^e better to succeid (gyf thay gat y^e first blude) slew all the prisoneris. 1651 H. Parker Scotlands Holy War 57 If wee did not pitch the warre there, and there draw the first bloud, wee did necessarily expose our selves to the first charge, and impression of our enemies here. 1664 J. Wilson Cheats iv. i. No—No—No—First blood, first blood:—And now Major, you think I cheated you:—By this good Morglay! The Rogue was resolv'e to fight. 1729 Daily Jrnl. (London) 31 Mar. [I] invite the said Mr. Clements to meet me as above, and exercise the usual Weapons now in Esteem, for 10l. s on the first Blood, and five on the whole Battle. 1789 Oracle 27 Oct. First blood on the part of Perrins under the eye. 1899 R. Kipling in McClure's Mag. May 11/2 First blood to me. You flushed, Ansell. You wriggled. 1964 C. Willock Enormous Zoo iii. 52 Before first blood was drawn it was decided to see what could be done to the ruined grazing of certain areas by simply keeping the hippo out. 2000 Dawn (Karachi) 16 Apr. 18/1 Europe drew first blood in the delayed second round of fourball matches of the Seve Ballesteros Trophy. first-choice adj. originally U.S. (a) (in a system of preferential voting) designating a vote cast for a voter's most preferred candidate or party; (b) gen. that is chosen before or in preference to all others; most favoured or desired. ΚΠ 1867 S. Sterne Rep. Constit. Convent. State of N.Y. Personal Representation 29 You give the same value to the contingent that you do to the first choice vote, and thus an undue influence is given to numbers. 1873 Official Rep. Proc. & Deb. 3rd Constit. Convent. Ohio I. App. 1258/1 Every first choice candidate receiving the aforesaid necessary number, shall be declared elected. 1893 Gardening 1 Feb. 149/3 So long as we have squirrels and field mice and pigeons in our woods, so long we must expect that sweet chestnuts will be their first choice food. 1908 Pacific Reporter 97 733/2 The elector has the utmost freedom of choice in casting his first-choice ballot. 1963 Times 31 July 2/5 (advt.) If your son or daughter does not reach the standard required by your first choice school why not consult David Talbot Rice. 1981 H. W. Allen Poindexter of Washington ii. 27 Poindexter won the nomination against a field of six candidates with 29 percent of the first choice votes. 2004 M. Collins Chasing Chariot 154 Woodward had scarcely any first-choice players available. first coat n. the first layer of a substance covering a surface, esp. plaster or paint. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > decorating and painting > [noun] > painting > coat of paint > specific coats first coat?1600 overcoating1855 undercoat1873 base coat1907 undercoating1922 guide coat1930 overpaint1944 wash coat1951 overcoat1959 society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > surfacing or cladding > [noun] > bricklaying and plastering > plastering > plastering with first coat > first coat first coat?1600 rendering1659 rough coat1791 render1833 scratch-coat1891 ?1600 H. Plat Delightes for Ladies sig. D2^v At the first coat put on but one halfe spoonefull with the Ladle, and al to moue the bason, moue, stirre and rub the seedes with thy left hande a pretty while, for they will take sugar the better, and dry them wel after euery coate. 1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture II. vi. ix. f. 15^v/2 Upon the first coat, while it is still wet and fresh, lay on the second. 1775 tr. Valuable Secrets Arts & Trades 161 The composition..with which gilders make that first coat, called by the artists assiette, or burnish-gold size. 1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 390 First Coat of two-coat work, in plastering, is denominated laying when on lath, and rendering when on brick. 1921 H. Diemer et al. Mod. Foremanship & Production Methods 54 Any [car] bodies that have ‘sags’ or ‘runs’ in the paint after the first coat of color is applied..are sent to the paint repair. 2007 Young Archaeologist Summer 4/2 The first coat is called the ‘scratch coat’ because the surface is scratched with lines so the next coat sticks to it. † first-coated adj. Obsolete covered with the first layer of some substance. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > painting or coating materials > [adjective] > painted with first coat first-coated1870 society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > plaster > [adjective] > covered with > with first coat first-coated1870 1870 Eng. Mech. 11 Feb. 385/1 The laths are ‘primed’ or first-coated. first communion n. (also with capital initials) Christian Church the occasion on which a person first receives the Eucharist; (now chiefly Roman Catholic Church) this occasion as a religious ceremony and celebration, typically involving communicants of around 7 or 8 years of age. ΚΠ a1649 W. Drummond Wks. (1711) 224 At his first Communion, in Token of his true Reconciliation, he drunk out the full Cup of Wine. 1707 G. Hickes tr. F. de S. de la Mothe-Fénelon Instr. Educ. Daughter viii. 164 The first Communion ought to be at the time when Children being come to the use of Reason, shall appear more Docile. 1803 W. Godwin Life Chaucer I. 54 The rite of confirmation, according to the Roman Catholic discipline, is always subsequent..to the first communion. 1926 Amer. Mercury Apr. 485/2 We received a droll snap-shot of the boy arrayed for his first communion. 2007 Irish Independent (Nexis) 12 May When my niece arrives at the church to make her First Communion, she will look lovely in her white dress, shoes, and bag. first cost n. Accounting prime cost, cost price. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > [noun] > wholesale or cost price first penny1557 first costa1641 prime cost1695 cost price1800 cost1811 society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > [adjective] > types of price first costa1641 ruling1657 driveaway1931 off-price1955 keen1964 near-market1967 a1641 T. Mun England's Treasure (1664) xx. 209 When we have valued their first cost, we must add twenty five per cent. thereunto for the charges here. 1773 B. Franklin Votes & Proc. Boston Pref. p. v Which, at the first Cost here, can scarce be reckoned at less than Half a Guinea a Head per Annum. 1778 T. Jefferson Let. 5 June in Papers (1950) II. 194 The master had once sold the whole cargo..for 5s. 3d. the livre, first cost. 1840 Liverpool. Jrnl. 4 July 1/4 Quantity of soiled account books..at first cost prices. 1857 Trans. Illinois State Agric. Soc. 1856–7 2 20 Corn, oats, bran and meal will be furnished, at first cost. 1991 Professional Engin. July 15 (caption) Re-design to suit the pump to more universal markets resulted in a boiler feed pump which..had a competitive first cost. first cross n. (in animal and plant breeding) the initial cross (cross n. 28a) between two different breeds of animal or varieties or species of plant; an instance of this; an animal or plant resulting from such a cross (cf. F1 at F n. Initialisms 1i). ΘΚΠ the world > animals > domestic animal > [noun] > livestock > stock or breed > cross-breed > of two pure breeds first cross1793 the world > life > biology > biological processes > genetic activity > heredity or hereditary descent > [noun] > cross-breeding or hybridism > hybrid or cross mongrel1558 hybrid1601 centaur1606 mulatto1664 half-strain1673 cross1761 cross-breed1774 first cross1793 double-cross1810 quadroon1811 intercross1859 outcross1882 reciprocal1901 filial generation1902 monohybrid1902 vicinist1905 first filial (or F₁) generation1909 polyhybrid1910 back-cross1919 second filial (or F₂) generation1938 1793 Ann. Agric. 19 91 (note) It deserves notice, however, that the horns go at the first cross. 1862 W. Youatt Sheep (new ed.) vii. 260 The first cross evidently detracted much from the beauty of the English sheep. 1910 T. Allen Profitable Pig Breeding ii. 13 A first cross of pure-bred stock, judiciously selected, is hard to beat. 1947 J. Stevenson-Hamilton Wild Life S. Afr. xxi. 165 The two best dogs..I ever possessed..were a first-cross between a pointer and a bull-terrier, and a first-cross between Great Dane and Irish terrier. 2000 Land (N. Richmond, New S. Wales) 1 June 9/4 They run 3200 Merino ewes, using Border Leicester rams to produce first cross lambs. first-day cover n. originally U.S. an envelope bearing, or designed to bear, stamps postmarked on the day when they were first issued (see cover n.¹ 2d). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > hobby > collecting stamps > [noun] > related matters perforation gauge1882 plate number1912 cover1923 first-day cover1926 1926 Collectors Club Philatelist Jan. 84 The collection of first day covers and first flights is on the increase and it seems certain that these side issues of philately will continue to gain adherents owing to the historical interest attached to them. 1951 J. L. Grumbridge Introd. Stamps ix. 103 This quite intelligible demand for first-day covers as items of philatelic interest. 1971 D. Potter Brit. Elizabethan Stamps vi. 66 To accompany the new stamps, a very simple first-day cover envelope was prepared by the Post Office. 2003 S. Brown Free Gift Inside! 200 These product replenishment problems..helped increase the book's cult following, rendering it akin to a rare Pokémon card or first day cover. first derivative n. Mathematics a derivative obtained by differentiating a function once. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > calculus > [noun] > differential calculus > differentiation > derivative derivativea1690 fluxion1704 differential coefficient1708 differential coefficient1786 first derivative1852 1815 tr. J. L. Lagrange in C. Hutton Philos. & Math. Dict. (new ed.) I. 561/1 If we regard..the area of a curve as a function of the abscissa, the ordinate is then the first derivative function [Fr. la première fonction derivée].] 1852 T. G. Hall Treat. Differential & Integral Calculus (ed. 5) iii. 31 This process is called successive differentiation, and du/dx, dp/dx, dq/dx, &c. are called the first, second, third, &c. differential coefficients, or the first, second, third, &c. derivatives of u. 1881 J. C. Maxwell Treat. Electr. & Magnetism (ed. 2) I. 8 The first derivatives of a continuous function may be discontinuous. 2007 H. I. Brown Conceptual Syst. x. 418 The Schrödinger equation..includes second derivatives of the spatial terms but only the first derivative of the time term. first desk n. (in an orchestra) the position occupied by the principal player, or occasionally players, of a particular instrument, typically seated at the front of the section; frequently attributive. ΚΠ 1852 Musical World 19 June 396/2 On Wednesday last Vieuxtemps took the first desk, and performed two Quartetts..with such masterly perfection, that the enthusiasm of the audience became boisterous. 1863 E. Wallace tr. F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Lett. 1833–47 148 Haydn's ‘Farewell Symphony’, in which..the musicians..went away in succession till the violinists at the first desk alone remained. 1909 New Music Rev. Dec. 12/2 The playing of certain passages..by the first desk players of each department of the strings only. 1972 N.Y. Times 3 Nov. 30/1 Here Mr. Watts..was joined by two first-desk men of the orchestra—Bernard Goldberg, flute, and Fritz Siegal, violin. 1998 Strad June 577/3 In the 1980s she experimented with a return to performance on first desk of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. 2006 GeoJournal 65 42/1 The orchestra's other principals comprise the first-desk players of the second violins, violas, cellos, [etc.]. first down n. American Football and Canadian Football the first of a series of four or (in Canadian football) three downs (see down n.⁴ 5); (also) a gain of ten or more yards, by which the offensive team is entitled to a new series of downs; frequently attributive.Rules regarding the number of downs permitted and yards required have changed over time. ΚΠ 1885 Boston Daily Globe 19 Nov. (Evening ed.) 3/3 After the ball was taken to the centre of the field, the first down was made in '87's territory. 1889 Outing Jan. 360/2 The first down had better be utilized by getting the ball in front of the goal if it is off at the side of the field. The second down should be an attempt to get somewhat nearer. 1977 Winnipeg Free Press 14 Sept. 73/2 Most teams run on first down most of the time. If the gain is only two or three yards, most of them will pass on the second. 1998 D. Mullins And Ten to Go xxv. 192 On the second-down play, with fifteen yards to reach the first-down marker, Clark fumbled the cold ball. 2007 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 26 Nov. b1/4 Joseph looked to be stopped on a third-and-one plunge at the Winnipeg 10, but a video review moved the spot up just enough for the first down. first early adj. and n. (a) adj. designating or relating to a variety or crop of potatoes (or other vegetables) which is the first of the early varieties or crops to be harvested; cf. early adj. 3; (b) n. (chiefly in plural) such a variety or crop; cf. early n. 2. ΚΠ 1776 R. Edmeades Gentleman & Lady's Gardener i. 31 For the first early crop of peas, you must sow some of the Hotspurs on a warm border at the end of October. 1814 Gen. Rep. Agric. State & Polit. Circumstances Scotl. App. i. ix. 420 The first earlies [sc. potatoes] are the Ashleaved, London Early, Superfine Early, and different sorts of Early Dwarfs. 1870 Jrnl. Hort., Cottage Gardener, Country Gentleman 27 Jan. 58/1 For first early Potatoes allow 36 inches between the rows. 1895 W. J. Malden Potato 62 The four first earlies planted on May 31 averaged rather less than 67 cwt. per acre. 1963 Times 22 Apr. 2/6 Arran Pilot..now accounts for over 50 per cent of the first early acreage. 1987 Green Cuisine Feb. 21/4 The 1st earlies are ready to lift when the crop is about the size of a hen's egg. 2005 Grow your Own Dec. 38/2 Spuds are named after when they are planted, kicking off with the first earlies which..can be planted as early as March. first edition n. [perhaps after post-classical Latin editio princeps editio princeps n., although this is apparently first attested later] the earliest edition of a book or other printed work (frequently attributive); an individual copy of this, typically regarded as valuable or collectable; also figurative. ΘΚΠ society > communication > book > edition > [noun] > first edition first edition1542 editio princeps1775 princeps1814 first1862 1542 T. Elyot Bibliotheca Proheme sig. A.iii^v Receyue this my symple labour and study, which I haue eftsones dedicate vnto your hyghnes, with lyke benignitie as you receyued my fyrste edition. a1647 T. Hooker Applic. of Redempt.: 9th & 10th Bks. (1657) x. 377 These first Editions, and Spiritual Dispositions imprinted upon the heart. 1674 P. Walsh Hist. & Vindic. Loyal Formulary i. 25 All the first Edition was immediately bought. 1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 177. ⁋9 A copy..which he firmly believed to be of the first edition. 1807 Literary Panorama Dec. 535 The addition has been made on the first edition copies. 1809 T. F. Dibdin Bibliomania 45 His present Majesty enriched his magnificent collection with many of the Consul's first editions, and vellum copies. 1856 M. Heron tr. A. Dumas Camille v. 58 Do you know, Camille, I have grown tired of the first edition of my life. 1905 Westm. Gaz. 9 June 10/1 A first edition copy of ‘Richard III’. 1973 Jrnl. Mod. Lit. 3 179 The first edition score of Dvorak's Trio in E flat major. 2004 C. Chin in H. Bidgoli Internet Encycl. I. 331/2 The seller sold 20 first editions of the Harry Potter book series containing fraudulent autographs. first-ever adj. (attributive) that is the first experienced, known, recorded, etc., at any time (cf. ever adv. 5b). ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective] > first or prior to all others formec888 eldestc897 firstlOE originalc1350 foremosta1400 furthermost?a1400 primary?a1425 primatea1425 primea1500 arch1574 soon1591 origin1632 utter1634 premier1652 aboriginary1653 furthest1653 fontal1656 principial1699 première1768 protological1936 first-ever1955 1954 Life 15 Nov. 180/1 (advt.) Mince pie in-a-can. First ever! The piepan can contains a fine, thick, rich mince pie.] 1955 Life 19 Sept. 39 (advt.) Look! It's the first-ever design-divine in pantie girdles! 1958 Listener 17 July 94/3 Cambodia's first-ever seaport. 1986 Lydney Observer 12 Sept. 2/8 The first-ever night-time golf tournament in this country. 2003 More Dec. 138/1 Soothing scratchy eyes just became easier, thanks to the first-ever prescription dry-eye treatment. first family n. (a) (chiefly in plural) any of the families considered to have the greatest social rank or prestige in a particular area; esp. (in the United States) the descendants of the early European settlers in a region; (b) the family of the head of a nation, state, etc.; spec. the family of the President of the United States; also in extended use.In sense (a) (in the United States) now frequently in First Families of Virginia (abbreviated FFV). ΚΠ 1643 W. Prynne Soveraigne Power Parl. iii. 122 The Patriarks, the first families of most Nations and Countries. 1740 S. Richardson Pamela II. 53 You know you have been sought to by some of the first Families in the Nation, for your Alliance. 1855 Harper's Mag 186/1 All the old settlers of Albany—the first families of that Dutch and aristocratic capital—will remember ‘Jimmy Caldwell’. 1894 ‘M. Twain’ Pudd'nhead Wilson xii. 156 This superiority was exalted to supremacy when a person of such nativity could also prove descent from the First Families of that great commonwealth. 1913 T. C. Miller & H. Maxwell West Virginia I. xiii. 197 His title to nobility rose in proportion to the intimacy of his alliance with the first families of Virginia. 1937 Bluefield (W. Va.) Daily Tel. 17 Jan. 1/4 The beautiful residence which saw formal state functions and gayety, the home life of the state's first family. 1958 Life 19 May 41/1 After a visit with the first family of the U.S.., prince and princess left to put a royal frosting on an exuberant state's cake-cutting. 1995 Mojo Jan. 91/1 The Wenners on the town are clearly rock 'n' roll's First Family. 2004 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 9 Apr. b39/2 Lexingtonians who can trace themselves back to one of the FFVs—first families of Virginia—are known to do little but contemplate the fact. 2010 Cape Cod Times (Nexis) 30 Aug. The Marine One helicopter with the first family onboard landed at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod just after 10 a.m. yesterday. first feature n. a film that is the main feature in a cinema programme (cf. second feature n. at second adj. and n.² Compounds 1). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > a film > type of film > [noun] > feature film feature film1911 big picture1913 feature1913 feature picture1913 first feature1936 featurette1942 1936 World Film News May 28/2 To sell a film as a first-feature, a producer must have a personality..well enough known to induce the public to go to the..theatres. 1936 World Film News May 28/2 And so we reach the figure of £30,000 as the normal minimum cost of a first-feature film. 1958 Observer 9 Mar. 4/6 This film—a first feature on its first release round a big circuit—was badly presented. 1969 Listener 14 Aug. 201/1 The quota system. Thirty per cent of first features shown in this country have to be made here. 2010 A. Macor Chainsaws, Slackers, & Spy Kids viii. 231 The market was widening for independently made films, especially first features. first finger n. (in the hand of humans and other primates) the finger next to the thumb; the forefinger, the index finger; (occasionally also, in non-human primates) the second digit of the hind limb; (in other tetrapods) the first (radial) digit on the forefoot, corresponding to the thumb. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > digit > finger > [noun] > forefinger teacherc1290 lickpot1387 index1398 showing finger?a1425 forefingerc1450 first finger?1530 insignitor1598 demonstrator1657 trigger finger1829 pointling1840 index finger1849 index-digit1866 arrow finger1875 weft-finger1880 ?1530 R. Whitford Werke for Housholders sig. F.i Teche them also to knowe the names of the fyue wyttes, and to put the fyrst fynger of the ryght hande vnto y^e instrumentes of the same wyttes. 1672 J. Playford Introd. Skill Musick (ed. 6) ii. 96 You stop with your first Finger on the first Fret, and shake with your second Finger as close to it as you can. 1771 C. Burney tr. G. Tartini Let. to Maddalena Lombardini 7 Playing it..with the first finger upon G on the first string. 1828 J. Stark Elements Nat. Hist. I. 59 Lemures... First finger of the hind feet after the thumb terminated by a sharp turned up nail. 1837 W. Macgillivray Hist. Brit. Birds I. 34 Those [quills] on the first finger, g, are named the alula, or spurious wing. 1887 J. White Anc. Hist. Maori I. iii. 41 They..dipped the first finger of their left hands in the blood of Hotu-a and held their hands up to heaven. a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xviii. 481 A pad on the male's first finger..is used as a holdfast when the male [common frog] grips the female in the coupling or embrace. 1991 R. Fuller Stares xv. 113 Her renunciation of cigarettes was recent, for her right first finger was still brown. 2012 Scuba Apr. 72/2 Three-finger mitts..keep the last three fingers together for warmth, while retaining the dexterity of your thumb and first finger. first fleet n. (also with upper-case initial(s)) Australian History (usually with the) the eleven British ships that arrived in Australia in 1788 to found the penal colonies from which the first European settlements grew; (as a modifier) designating a person from one of these ships, or (one of) his or her descendants, as first fleet convict, first fleet man, etc. (cf. first-fleeter n.). ΚΠ 1791 P. G. King Jrnl. Norfolk Island 12 Nov. 6 in Austral. National Dict. (1988) 248/2 The far greater part of those Convicts who left England in the First Fleet in 1788..conduct themselves with Honesty. 1875 A. Griffiths Memorials of Millbank II. i. 13 ‘Any man,’ said..one of these first fleet convicts who had reached affluence and comfort at last..‘would have committed murder for a month's provisions.’ 1978 V. Windeyer Austral. in Commonw. 14 Captain Arthur Phillip brought the First Fleet there—two naval vessels, three store ships and six transports carrying convicts. 2018 South Coast Reg. (New S. Wales) (Nexis) 16 Nov. 8 He proudly talks about June being a first fleet descendant of Thomas Spencer, a Marine and a first fleet convict Mary Phillips. first-fleeter n. Australian slang a person who came to Australia aboard one of the ships of the first fleet; a descendant of one of these persons. ΚΠ 1826 Monitor (Sydney) 1 Sept. 123/2 I am, Sir, Yours, &c. An Old Hand, but not a First Fleeter. 1830 D. McLeod in Hist. Rec. Austral. (1922) 1st Ser. XV. 371 One of the first Fleeters died a few Years ago. 1848 H. W. Haygarth Recoll. Bush Life Austral. viii. 93 A man who, by his own account, is of so long standing in the neighbourhood as to have been what is called in the colony a ‘first fleeter’. 1961 Bulletin (Sydney) 10 May 4/4 How long will it be before ‘First Fleeters’—descendants of those who arrived with Governor Phillip—manage to work up the same sort of snobbery about their status as America's Pilgrim Fathers have? 1983 J. Hepworth Great Austral. Cities When the First Fleeters clanked ashore To Sydney Town..They threw a rorty party. 1999 Independent on Sunday 14 Nov. (Review Suppl.) 7/2 In our Sydney hierarchy I am like a goddess, a princess, because I'm a surfie girl and a first-fleeter. first-flight adj. [compare in the first flight at flight n.¹ 8d, top n.¹ and adj.] (now rare) of the highest quality, first-rate. ΚΠ 1841 Fraser's Mag. 23 16 A first-flight Meltonian is not said to ride well, but to go well, after hounds. 1934 F. S. Fitzgerald Let. 10 May (1964) 307 It did not have as large a proportion of first-flight stories. First Folio n. (also with lower-case initials) (usually with the) the earliest collected edition of the plays of William Shakespeare, published as a single folio volume in 1623; an individual copy of this. ΚΠ 1733 L. Theobald Wks. Shakespeare I. 304 The first Folio reads, as the Poet intended, Yoaks, and Mrs. Page's meaning is this. 1828 C. Lamb Detached Thoughts on Bks. in Elia 2nd Ser. 182 I do not care for a First Folio of Shakspeare... I rather prefer the common editions of Rowe and Tonson. 1886 Athenæum 21 Aug. 251/1 The first folio reading differs in very important respects from that subsequently adopted. 1907 Mod. Lang. Rev. 2 358 It is hardly necessary nowadays to insist upon the superior value of the text of the First Folio. 1949 N.Y. Times 13 Aug. 13/1 Henry Folger bought seventy nine First Folios... Englishmen damned him from hell to breakfast. 2008 A. Murphy Shakespeare for People ii. 76 A copy of the First Folio, bound in plain calf, probably cost about £1 in 1623. first form n. (a) the lowest form in a school; (b) Printing the form that is the first one to be printed on to any sheet of paper. ΘΚΠ society > education > learning > learner > one attending school > [noun] > division of pupils > form or class form1560 first forma1602 remove1718 shell1736 sixth-form1807 lower sixth (form)1818 pettya1827 grade1835 the twenty1857 baby class1860 standard1862 nursery class1863 primer1885 reception class1902 sixth form1938 reception1975 a1602 W. Perkins Comm. Epist. Gal. (1604) 229 In the first forme, the teacher and master is the law. 1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. Dict. 376 First Form, the Form the White Paper is Printed on, which generally by Rule ought to have the First Page of the Sheet in it. 1824 J. Johnson Typographia II. 654/1 First Form, the form the white paper is printed on, which generally has the first page of the sheet in it. 1877 J. D. Chambers Divine Worship Eng. 139 The First Three Lessons..were read by Boys from each side alternately from the first Form. 1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. First Forme, the inner or outer [forme] of a sheet—whichever is printed off first. 1997 G. Nicholls & J. Gardner Pupils in Transition vii. 73 The days of simply seeing the children out of the door at the end of primary schooling and waiting for a new cohort to arrive in first form are very much over. 2010 E. Evenden & T. S. Freeman Relig. & Bk. in Early Mod. Eng. i. 22 For the first twelve pages printed, the first pair of formes would hold pages 1 and 12 in the first forme, the second would hold pages 2 and 11. first futtock n. Nautical each of the futtocks forming the frame nearest the keel of a wooden vessel. ΚΠ 1754 M. Murray tr. H. L. Duhamel du Monceau Elements Naval Archit. iv. 25 in Treat. Ship-building From e, the head of the first futtock, to 6. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. First Futtocks, timbers in the frame of a ship which come down between the floor-timbers almost to the keel on each side. 1998 K. Crisman in V. Brehm Fully Accredited Ocean i. 34 The typical square frame consisted of seven overlapping pieces: a single floor timber at the base (this timber crossed, and was bolted to, the keel), two first futtocks, two second futtocks, and two top timbers. first gear n. the lowest in a set of gears on a vehicle, used when travelling very slowly; also figurative with reference to slow or initial progress (cf. low gear n. at low adj. and n.² Compounds 3). ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > gear > specific gear bottom gear?1865 high gear1889 low gear1895 fourth1900 second gear1902 first gear1907 second1907 first1909 second speed1912 high1914 low1914 1907 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 11 May 1133/2 In changing from the first speed to a higher speed the car should be made to run rather fast for the first gear. 1950 Billboard 24 June 94/3 Detroit's long-discussed International Trade Fair moved into first gear this week with the organization of a preliminary board of directors. 1965 Motoring Which? Oct. 136/2 The effect of changing to low ratio is to make all gears lower, so that, for example, in the Land-Rover you then have three gears lower than the ordinary first gear. 1971 New Scientist 10 June 649/2 The discussion had only just got into first gear at the end of its hour. 1994 D. J. Wishart Unspeakable Sadness Acknowledgem. p. xv I am particularly grateful to Jeanne Kay for getting this project out of first gear. 2008 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 23 Nov. (Sports section) 9/3 The manual transmission is a bit easy to stall in first gear, but you can crawl in second. first-half adj. relating to or occurring in the first half of something divided into two periods, esp. a sports game or the financial year. ΚΠ 1890 Leeds Mercury 10 Feb. The Rovers scored two tries and five minors, Britannia failing to make any addition to their first half score. 1958 Analysts Jrnl. 14 80/1 The upward trend has continued in 1958, with first-half figures of approximately $4,250,000,000. 1977 Time 19 Sept. 48/2 At Bethlehem Steel..first-half profits dived 88%. 2005 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 19 Sept. vii. 7/5 Bennett was benched after his two first-half fumbles and dropped pass. † first-kinned adj. Obsolete = firstborn n. 1. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > relationship to parent > [adjective] > first-born eldestc1000 first-begottenc1350 first-gottena1382 firstbornc1384 first-gendereda1398 first-kinneda1400 oldest1478 ayne1483 first-conceived1574 eigne1586 eldest-born1608 primogenit1619 first-begot1671 primogenitala1706 old1706 primogenitary1827 primogenitive1842 a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) civ. 34 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 239 He smate al firstkinned in land ofe þa. first language n. the language which a person first acquires in infancy, usually in contrast with another acquired subsequently (cf. second language n. at second adj. and n.² Compounds 1); (also formerly) †the original language of a nation (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the mind > language > a language > [noun] > native language lede-quidec1275 birth tonguea1387 mother languagea1425 mother tongue?a1425 vulgar1430 mother's languagec1443 mother's tongue1517 natural language1570 commona1616 natural1665 vernaculara1706 native1824 home language1833 first language1875 Umgangssprache1934 mameloshen1968 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 157 Walsche men and Scottes, þat beeþ nouȝt i-medled wiþ oþer naciouns, holdeþ wel nyh hir firste longage and speche. 1661 J. Wallis Let. 24 Mar. in Corr. (2003) II. 52 Children..are now to learn their First Language. 1772 C. Vallancey Ess. Antiq. Irish Lang. 5 The Pœni or Carthaginians having been originally Phœnicians, it is undeniable their first Language must have been Phœnician. 1875 W. D. Whitney Life & Growth of Lang. ii. 25 We realize better in the case of a second or ‘foreign’, than in that of a first or ‘native’ language, that the process of acquisition is a never-ending one. 1971 Guardian 23 June 7/3 Indians and Pakistanis..using a second language at school and their first language for many home activities. 2011 Guardian 21 May 41/5 Pat would walk the two-mile journey to school barefoot for most of the year and was belted for speaking his first language, Gaelic. first lieutenancy n. the post or rank of first lieutenant. ΚΠ 1736 H. Boulter Let. 8 Jan. (1769) II. 190 I shall be very much obliged to your Grace if you would please to bestow a first lieutenancy on Robert Moland, at present a second Lieutenant in the said regiment. 1866 H. Coppée Grant & his Campaigns 25 His first-lieutenancy dated from Sep. 16, 1847. 1998 J. G. Acken Inside Army of Potomac Notes 446 He resigned to accept the first lieutenancy of Donaldson's Company H. first lieutenant n. (a) a naval officer with executive responsibility for a ship or other command; (b) a military officer holding a rank above second lieutenant and below captain (now chiefly in the U.S. army or air force). ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > leader or commander > [noun] > naval officer > lieutenant > first lieutenant first lieutenant1697 first luff1821 number one1909 Jimmy1916 No. 11916 society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > leader or commander > [noun] > naval officer > lieutenant > first lieutenant > office of first lieutenant1697 1697 J. Cockburn Contin. Acct. Nature Distempers Seafaring People xiv. 66 Mr Noble, first Lieutenant of the same Ship, was taken ill after the same manner. 1783 London Mag. Aug. 183/2 21st reg. foot. Robert Innes, Captain of a Company; Andrew Fletcher, First Lieutenant; Gilbert Congalton, Gent. Second Lieutenant. 1784 Ann. Reg. 1782 255 Royal Oak—Mr. Gwatkin, first lieutenant, killed. 1797 Encycl. Brit. X. 36/1 Second Lieutenant in the Artillery, is the same as an ensign in an infantry regiment,..and must assist the first lieutenant in the detail of the company's duty. 1846 W. H. Richardson Jrnl. 7 Aug. (1928) 18 We met our first Lieutenant, just from the Fort. He told us to hurry and get mustered into service before the other companies should crowd in. 1925 F. S. Fitzgerald Great Gatsby 79 I accepted a commission as first lieutenant. 1979 P. O'Brian Fortune of War iii. 106 The first lieutenant and Babbington were busy with their sextants, measuring the angle subtended by the chase's masthead. 2007 J. McCourt Now Voyagers iv. 146 Freddie in my platoon you are first lieutenant. first light n. the time when light first appears in the morning. ΘΚΠ the world > time > day and night > day or daytime > dawn > [noun] aristc825 dawingc900 dayeOE day-rimOE day-redOE mornOE lightOE lightingOE dawning1297 day-rowa1300 grekinga1300 uprista1300 dayninga1325 uprisingc1330 sun arisingc1350 springc1380 springingc1380 day-springa1382 morrowingc1384 dayingc1400 daylighta1425 upspring1471 aurora1483 sky1515 orienta1522 breaking of the day1523 daybreak1530 day-peep1530 morrow dayc1530 peep of the morning1530 prick of the day?1533 morning1535 day-breaking1565 creek1567 sunup1572 breach of the day1579 break of day or morn1584 peep of day1587 uprise1594 dawna1616 day-dawn1616 peep of dawn1751 strike of day1790 skreigh1802 sunbreak1822 day-daw1823 screech1829 dayclean1835 sun dawn1835 first light1838 morning-red1843 piccaninny sun1846 piccaninny daylightc1860 gloaming1873 glooming1877 sparrow-fart1886 crack1887 sun-spring1900 piccaninny dawn1936 1679 J. Davies tr. Appian Hist. i. vii. xxi. 220 The Military Tribunes and Primipiles running up and down, urged every one to get ready to march by the first Light.] 1838 J. Bosworth Dict. Anglo-Saxon Lang. Frum-leoht, first light or dawn. 1857 W. G. Wills Life's Foreshadowings i. in Irish Metrop. Mag. 1 7 I shall sleep at his house to-night. I'll be back with you by first light. 1926 L. S. Kelly Yellowstone Kelly xi. 190 I..tried to sleep but could not for thinking of the necessity of being on the way at first light. 1942 Flying Sept. 266/3 At first light on November 18, the Air Forces in the Western Desert moved into action. 1946 Amer. Speech 21 209 Orders [in the Eighth Army] for an early start never mentioned dawn but instead used first light... There might be some squabble about just what time constituted dawn. There couldn't be any at all about first light, at least not in the desert. 1965 R. McKie Company of Animals vii. 113 Jim went at first light to check which animals were visiting a small salt-lick in the jungle. a1985 P. White With the Jocks (2003) 119 I had warned all my Jocks to be dug in by first light. First Lord n. British (short for) First Lord of the Admiralty; (also occasionally) First Lord of the Treasury. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > naval officials > [noun] > Lord of Admiralty First Lord of the Admiralty1723 Lords (Commissioners) of the Admiralty1739 First Lord1814 sea-lord1817 society > authority > office > holder of office > high officials of state > [noun] > lord or first lord lord1398 First Lord of the Admiralty1723 First Lord1814 society > trade and finance > management of money > [noun] > one who has charge of or manages money > one who manages public money > specific officials chamberlain1415 teller1434 under-treasurer1447 treasurer of the king's warsc1450 vice-treasurer1541 chequer-man?1577 Clerk of the Pellsa1603 treasurer at wars1617 fiscal1652 quaestor1673 underteller1694 First Lord of the Treasury1698 Paymaster General1698 melter1758 treasurer1790 First Lord1855 apposer- 1814 J. Austen Mansfield Park II. vii. 155 I would rather find him private secretary to the first Lord than any thing else. View more context for this quotation 1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple III. i. 11 A letter from your lordship to the First Lord—, only a few lines. 1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xviii. 185 He ceased to insist on his right to thrust himself between the First Lord and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. 1914 D. Haig Diary 6 Aug. in War Diaries & Lett. 1914–18 (2005) 54 The Navy, the First Lord (Churchill) stated, could not protect the passage of our transports during the longer sea passage across the North Sea to the Scheldt. 1993 Jrnl. Mil. Hist. 57 453 Winston Churchill, the First Lord from 1911 through the spring of 1915, and subsequently Minister of Munitions in 1917 and 1918. First Lord of the Admiralty n. British (now historical) the civilian president of the Board of Admiralty (the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, abolished in 1964).In quot. 1723 referring to the holder of a comparable position in Russia. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > naval officials > [noun] > Lord of Admiralty First Lord of the Admiralty1723 Lords (Commissioners) of the Admiralty1739 First Lord1814 sea-lord1817 society > authority > office > holder of office > high officials of state > [noun] > lord or first lord lord1398 First Lord of the Admiralty1723 First Lord1814 1723 tr. F. C. Weber Present State Russia I. 58 M. Kikin first Lord of the Admiralty. 1739 Gentleman's Mag. June 307 Wager, Sir Charles, Westminster, First Lord of the Admiralty. 1812 S. Whitbread Speech in Commons 7 May The..emolument drawn by the late first Lord of the Admiralty as Teller of Exchequer. 1909 Hansard Commons 1 1110/2 Mr. Robert Harcourt asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he was prepared to give an official definition of the term capital ship. 2002 B. Hoey Her Majesty xiii. 209 As First Lord of the Admiralty, he was responsible for the maintenance and running costs of the Royal Yacht. First Lord of the Treasury n. British the head of the commission exercising the office of Lord High Treasurer.Since the early 18th cent. the holder of the office of First Lord of the Treasury has typically also been the head of the government, referred to (at first unofficially) as Prime Minister (see note at prime minister n. 1). Since 1905 this office has by convention always been held by the Prime Minister. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > management of money > [noun] > one who has charge of or manages money > one who manages public money > specific officials chamberlain1415 teller1434 under-treasurer1447 treasurer of the king's warsc1450 vice-treasurer1541 chequer-man?1577 Clerk of the Pellsa1603 treasurer at wars1617 fiscal1652 quaestor1673 underteller1694 First Lord of the Treasury1698 Paymaster General1698 melter1758 treasurer1790 First Lord1855 apposer- 1698 W. Cowper Anat. Humane Bodies sig. a1 To the Right Honorable Charles Mountague, first Lord of the Treasury. 1767 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy IX. xi. 47 The first Lord of the Treasury thinking of ways and means, could not have returned home, with a more embarrassed look. 1843 T. Carlyle Past & Present ii. xvii. 174 Of whom as First Lord of the Treasury..we could be so glad and proud. 1905 Official Gaz. E. Afr. & Uganda Protectorates 15 Dec. (Reuter's Telegrams) The Members of the Cabinet given before are now Officialy [sic] confirmed and the following are additions. First Lord of the Treasury…Sir H. C. Bannerman. 2010 Daily Tel. 26 May 26/3 The sole achievement of Gordon Brown as Second and then First Lord of the Treasury was to keep Britain out of the euro. first love n. (a) the person with whom one falls in love for the first time; (b) devotion to God experienced at a person's conversion; (c) the first experience of falling in love or the devotion associated with this; (d) one's favourite occupation, pastime, possession, etc. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > love > amorous love > [noun] > first time one falls in love first lovea1470 society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > hobby > [noun] parergon1607 curiosity1646 hobby-horse1676 hobby1816 cheval de bataille1818 fad1867 first love1971 a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 359 He is my fyrste love, and he shall be the laste. 1490 W. Caxton tr. Boke yf Eneydos xi. sig. Cviii^v After the deth dolourouse & cursid of my somtyme husbonde Sychee. whiche bare awaye my firste loue wyth hym whan he was leyde vnder therthe. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Rev. ii. 4 Neverthelesse I have sumwhat agaynst the, for thou haste lefte thy fyrst love [1384 Wycliffite, E.V. first charite]. 1569 T. Underdowne tr. Heliodorus Æthiop. Hist. iii. f. 46^v (margin) Theagenes pained the more because he was neuer in Loue before. Wherby may be gathered that the firste Loue pincheth. 1606 N. Breton Poste with Packet Madde Lett. (new ed.) II. sig. G3 A young man to his first Loue. Sweete Loue, since first I sawe you, I haue seene none like you. 1670 N. Ranew Solitude Improved by Divine Medit. i. xxii. 87 That his first works done again, might be a rekindler of his first Love. 1706 G. Pooley Serm. Preach'd before Lord Mayor 10 Christians fallen from their First Love. 1741 S. Richardson Pamela III. xiv. 63 It was a first Love on both Sides; and so he could not appear to her as a practised Deceiver. 1823 C. Lamb Mrs. Battle's Opinions on Whist in Elia 75 Quadrille, she has often told me, was her first love; but whist had engaged her maturer esteem. 1825 H. Wilson Mem. II. 91 First love is all powerful in the head and heart of such an ardent character as Worcester's. 1861 R. C. Trench Comm. Epist. 7 Churches Asia 77 The suggestion that this leaving of the first love can refer to the abating of any other love. 1883 R. Broughton Belinda I. i. i. 46 Rivers looks at her; looks at her as a wholesome minded and bodied boy of twenty-two does look at his first love. 1938 Amer. Home Oct. 28/3 Tole was my first love, and I have about twenty pieces of this fascinating ware. 1954 E. McLeod tr. Colette Vagabond ii. viii. 129 You couldn't mistake it; it was love indeed, first love. That was what it was and never again will be. 1961 J. R. Rice Count your Blessings 7 I wonder if some reader reads this and finds his heart cold, unresponsive? Then you have lost your first love. 1971 Radio Times 27 May 5/1 Despite a recent ITV series his first love remains radio. 2011 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 13 Jan. 25/1 With his fellow students Benois and Nouvel, his cousin and his first love Dima Filosofov, and their friend Léon Bakst. first luff n. Nautical slang (now historical) = first lieutenant n. (a). ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > leader or commander > [noun] > naval officer > lieutenant > first lieutenant first lieutenant1697 first luff1821 number one1909 Jimmy1916 No. 11916 1821 P. Egan Real Life in Ireland xv. 165 You must lay, said the jolly first luff, bread and butter fashion, or as we sailors have it, dab says Daniel. 1916 Our Navy (U.S.) Mar. 39 We have the best captain on this station..and our First Luff is as good as they make them. 2012 M. Melton Best Station of them All vi. 53 While the warship was at sea the master or first luff and his sextant set a course. first magistrate n. now chiefly historical the foremost magistrate; the head of state. ΚΠ 1559 R. Crowley Lanquet's Epitome of Crons. (new ed.) ii. f. 39^v In Lacedemonia Ephorus was constituted theyr firste magistrate. 1686 T. Otway tr. S. de Broë Hist. Triumvirates I. lii. 202 Being the first Magistrate of Rome, he was resolved to enquire into the difference between the King and his Sister. 1789 N.Y. Daily Gaz. 1 May 426/1 Yesterday the Great and illustrious Washington..entered upon execution of the office of First Magistrate of the United States of America. 1801 A. Hamilton Wks. VII. 219 It must be a matter of profound regret that a proposal which could give rise to it should have come from the First Magistrate of the United States. 1954 C. Dawson Medieval Ess. (2002) iii. 39 The emperor was not only the first magistrate of the Roman republic. 2000 A. Walford tr. A. Vauchez Encycl. Middle Ages II. 1504/1 From now on he [sc. the doge of Venice] was no more than the first magistrate of the city. first man n. [in sense (a) after Italian primo uomo primo uomo n.] (a) the principal male role or singer in an opera or opera company; = primo uomo n. (now historical); †(b) Mining (see quot. 1883) (obsolete). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > singer > opera-singer > [noun] > chief male singer first man1757 primo tenore1798 primo uomo1829 primo tenore assoluto1848 1757 H. Mann Let. 27 Aug. in H. Walpole Corr. (1960) XXI. 128 Manzuoli is our first man, and the best singer at present in Italy. 1880 G. Grove Dict. Music II. 509/1 It was de rigueur that the First Man (Primo uomo) should be an artificial Soprano. 1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining First man, the head butty or coal getter in a stall, who..is responsible for the safety of the men working under him and for the proper working of the coal. 1992 J. Rosselli Singers Ital. Opera (1995) 130 From 1750 we can also observe a widening of differentials between the fees paid to stars (the first man or first woman or both) and those paid to the other singers. first mate the chief officer of a merchant vessel, second in command to the master (cf. mate n.² 5a). ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > [noun] > mate mate1488 first mate1683 first officer1758 chief1896 mister1897 maat1919 1683 J. Morrison tr. J. J. Struys Perillous Voy. iii. i. 114 William Klopper, First-Mate and Carpenter. 1727 P. Longueville Eng. Hermit ii. 151 The Captain of her having been first Mate of the Ship to which Quarll did formerly belong. 1883 Cent. Mag. Jan. 398/2 The deck-hand ‘roustabouts’, under the stimulus of the first mate, began to carry it abroad. 1959 P. O'Brian Unknown Shore vi. 118 ‘But thirty-nine, I doubt’, said the first mate, lowering his quadrant. 2011 J. Buchan Trawlerman ix. 198 The first mate's job can be tricky. Being the conduit between the captain and the crew. first matter n. [after post-classical Latin materia prima, itself after ancient Greek πρώτη ὕλη (see materia prima n.)] Philosophy a formless primordial substance considered as the original material of the universe. Also figurative. ΚΠ a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xiii. xx. 665 Þe primordial and firste matere [þ]at [MS it] was in þe bygynnynge of þe worlde noȝt distingued by certeyne forme... Þat mater was..withoute ordre and wiþoute liȝte. 1619 S. Purchas Microcosmus lviii. 564 Vncreated Chaos, or Hyla, or first Matter. 1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. (1739) i. xl. 60 Though the Saxons were in name our first matter. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 472 One first matter all, Indu'd with various forms, various degrees Of substance. View more context for this quotation a1687 H. More App. to De Philos. Cabbal. (1713) viii. 183 That Hyle or first Matter is mere Possibility of Being, according to Aristotle. 1882 Catholic World July 470 Materia prima, or first matter..is the first subject of all substantial changes, existing per se in all bodies. 1995 W. Weaver tr. U. Eco Island of Day Before 256 The first result of Creation was First Matter, without form of dimensions, qualities, properties, tendencies, lacking movement and repose, raw primordial chaos, hyle, which was yet neither light nor darkness. first minister n. (also with capital initials) the principal minister of a sovereign, ruler, or state; the chief officer of the executive branch of government (spec. in Scotland and Wales since devolution in 1997) (cf. prime minister n. 1). ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > head of government > [noun] > first minister of a ruler or state prime minister1655 first minister1657 premier1675 premier ministera1678 vizier1709 Katikkiro1866 1657 Duke of Ormond Copie Let. to Bp. of Dromer 2 I think I know what is due from me to the first minister of a great King. 1741 Lords' Protest in J. Morley Walpole (1889) vii. 163 We are persuaded that a sole, or even a First Minister, is an officer unknown to the law of Britain. 1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea II. lii. 358 The first minister..is a kind of representative on behalf of the regal prerogative. 1803 Ld. Melville in J. Morley Walpole (1889) vii. 162 That power must rest in the person generally called the First Minister, and that minister ought, he [sc. Pitt] thinks, to be the person at the head of the finances. 1843 tr. A. L. L. de Custine Empire of Czar I. 107 Peter notified him, through his first minister, that he was to attend the ceremony. 1997 Daily Tel. 25 July 1/3 The [sc. Scottish] parliament will have an executive headed by a First Minister which will operate in a similar way to the United Kingdom Government. 2002 Scotsman (Nexis) 1 Apr. 4 The First Minister of Wales..said yesterday that he was discussing whether to recall the Welsh assembly. 2008 Vanity Fair May 200/2 This ‘perilous’ situation, as Scotland's first minister, Alex Salmond, described it. first motion adj. Mechanics (attributive) designating a part which first receives motion from an engine or motor and communicates it to another part; spec. designating the input shaft of a gearbox. ΚΠ 1834 Law Jrnl. Rep. 12 28/1 The shafting was connected with the first-motion shaft from the new engine. 1899 Electgr. Rev. 4 Aug. 211/1 Where toothed gearing is absolutely necessary..much depends on the satisfactory working of the first motion wheels. 1912 Motor Man. (ed. 14) v. 165 The two shafts in the gearbox are called respectively the first motion shaft and the second motion shaft. 2011 L. Porter Land Rover Series III Reborn 175/1 This is a first motion shaft removed by Adrian from a scrap gearbox. first novel n. the first novel written by a particular author. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > novel > [noun] > a writer's first novel first novel1838 1838 Southern Lit. Messenger Sept. 561/1 In the heads of such persons there are a thousand wild thoughts, romantic fancies and crude conceptions... In a first novel, these will find vent. 1876 Gentleman's Mag. Oct. 412 Daniel Deronda..is as much a first novel, from a fresh hand and mind, as if no scene of clerical life had ever been penned. 1942 E. Waugh Put out More Flags iii. 213 ‘It won't do,’ he always said whenever Mr Bentley produced a new author, ‘no one ever reads first novels.’ 2006 New Yorker 12 June 153/1 London's second generation Asians are given the ‘Trainspotting’ treatment in this slang-driven first novel. first offender n. a person who is convicted of a criminal offence for the first time. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > criminality > criminal person > [noun] > new first offender1808 criminaloid1890 society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > [noun] > crime > a criminal or law-breaker > a convicted criminal > convicted of first offence first offender1808 1808 Edinb. Rev. Oct. 179 Those only committed for trial; those actually convicted; hardened and first offenders; the profligate and the evil-disposed; the innocent and the guilty, ought not to be mingled indiscriminately together. 1849 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 3 Nov. 283/2 In the assize-yard there was a considerable number of what are called first-offenders. 1869 Temple Bar Mar. 541 We ought to temper justice with mercy in dealing with all first offenders. 1935 Economist 18 June 1353/1 Not at Borstal only, but in at least one of the prisons for first offenders, the humanising influence is at work. 1992 A. Ashworth Sentencing & Criminal Justice 225 The first general provision was in the First Offenders Act 1958, which stated that a Court should not pass a sentence of imprisonment on a first offender unless it was of the opinion that no other method of dealing with him was appropriate. 2004 H. Strachan Make a Skyf, Man! xiv. 160 You'll get fingers pointed at you..and cries of derision: Yah! First offender! first officer n. (a) the second in command to the captain or master of a ship; (now esp.) the first mate of a merchant vessel; (b) the second in command to the captain on an aircraft; a co-pilot. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > [noun] > mate mate1488 first mate1683 first officer1758 chief1896 mister1897 maat1919 society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > leader or commander > [noun] > naval officer > commander master and commander1757 first officer1758 commander1804 society > travel > air or space travel > people who fly in aircraft or spacecraft > [noun] > person in control of aircraft or spacecraft > person in control of aircraft > co-pilot first officer1758 co-pilot1927 1758 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 106/2 He thought it his indispensible duty..to extend his..bounty to the relief of all their wants in sickness, from the first officer down to the meanest seamen in his ship. 1849 J. F. Cooper Sea Lions II. ix. 121 ‘I wish we were two hundred miles to the eastward’, observed the young master to his first officer. 1921 Times 25 Aug. 10/2 He had been first officer to Major Scott in R-39, the first rigid airship completed in this country during the war. 1935 Times 7 Jan. 16/4 (advt.) Fastest and most up-to-date aircraft on any inland route. Manned by both pilot and first officer. 1988 Salina (Kansas) Jrnl. 17 Jan. 7/1 A first officer on a British container ship went berserk at sea Saturday, stabbing his captain..and threatening 19 other crew members. 2001 E. Hester Plane Insanity i. v. 31 The captain, first officer, and flight engineer remained hidden behind the cockpit door. first penny n. now historical prime cost, cost price (usually as adverbial phrase).In quot. 1674, perhaps: first amount, amount starting a contribution, testimonial, etc.; a handsel. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > giving > gift or present > [noun] givec888 lakeOE presentc1230 giftc1275 garrison1297 benefit1377 beneficec1380 givinga1382 handsela1393 donativec1430 oblation1433 propine1448 presentationc1460 don1524 sportule1538 premie?1548 first penny1557 donation1577 exhibition1579 donary1582 fairing1584 merced1589 gifture1592 meed1613 recado1615 regalo1622 regale1649 dation1656 compliment1702 dashee1705 dash1788 cadeau1808 bestowment1837 potlatch1844 prez.1919 Harry Freeman's1925 pressie1933 society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > [noun] > wholesale or cost price first penny1557 first costa1641 prime cost1695 cost price1800 cost1811 1557 Let. in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1598) I. 297 The sorting clothes may cost the first peny 5. li. 9. s. the cloth, one with the other. 1568 H. Baker Well Spryng of Sci. f. 110^v So muche did the elle cost at the firste penie. 1620 J. Smith New Englands Trials (Arb.) 242 Her fraght, which she sold at the first penny for 2100 pounds. 1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ iii. vi. 57 Her cargazon of broad cloth was worth the first peny neer upon 30000l. 1674 A. Marvell Let. 5 Nov. in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 332 E of Pembroke marryed to Madame Querrouals sister. The King gives 10000^li first peny. 1766 W. Cockin Rational & Pract. Treat. Arithm. i. 122 I demand what the C. weight cost first penny? 1975 E. S. Morgan Amer. Slavery, Amer. Freedom ii. x. 205 Obviously a price of tobacco calculated in goods ‘at the first penny’ cannot be compared with a price calculated in goods at an ‘advance’. First People n. (also with lower-case initials) chiefly Canadian (usually in plural) the indigenous peoples of Canada, considered collectively; Canadian Indians, Inuit, and Metis (cf. First Nation n.); (also more generally) the indigenous peoples of any country or region. ΘΚΠ the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of America > native or inhabitant of North America > native or inhabitant of Canada > [noun] Canadian1568 Canada Indian1688 Canadian Indian1760 Johnny Canuck1862 Native Canadian1953 First People1973 1973 T. Ornstein (title) The first peoples in Quebec: a reference work on the history, environment, economic and legal position of the Indians and Inuit of Quebec. 1981 United Press Internat. Newswire (Nexis) 19 Dec. Canada's one million Indians, Metis and Inuit..fear that when Canada adopts a new constitution next year it will threaten the very survival of the First People. 1988 Amer. Athropologist 90 777/1 International problems that Indian nations throughout the Western Hemisphere hold in common as First Peoples colonized within their own aboriginal lands. 1999 B. Demers Willa's New World 300 One perhaps lesser known fact is the important role First Peoples women played not only in the fur trade but in their own societies. 1999 Irish Times 30 Oct. 14/8 Increasing numbers of non-Aboriginal people [are] seeking a respectful relationship with Australia's first peoples. 2010 J. Borrows Canada's Indigenous Constit. 396 The First Peoples of Canada have always had a verbal tradition: speeches, myths, legends, stories, songs, and poetry..have been transmitted from generation to generation. first pointed adj. Architecture (now rare) = Early English (see Early English adj. at early adj. and n. Compounds 2). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > style of architecture > [adjective] > Early English Early Pointed1804 Early English1807 first pointed1819 E.E.1848 lancet-pointed1888 1819 Gentleman's Mag Mar. 225/1 It will be remembered that the first Pointed Style, or acute arch, began in the 12th century. 1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 427/1 The First Pointed, Lancet, or Early English style to which the transitional work thus led up. 1886 F. G. Lee King Edward VI i. 58 A first-pointed chapel and charnel-house. 2003 St. John's (Newfoundland) Telegram (Nexis) 13 Aug. a4 The architectural style of the church was described as early English, or first pointed. first polar n. Mathematics a curve of degree n related to a given curve C of degree n + 1 and a point P by containing every point of C whose tangent passes through P.Usually called simply a polar. The first polar of a circle is a straight line: cf. polar n. 2. In mathematical terms: (of a point (a₀, a₁,…a_n) with respect to a curve described by the homogeneous function f(x₀, x₁,…x_n) = 0) the curve represented by the equation Σ_ia_i ∂f/∂x_i = 0. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > geometry > point > [noun] > on a curve first polar1836 umbilic1843 spinode1852 stationary point1856 ineunt1859 triple point1872 tacnode-cusp1873 1836 A. De Morgan Differential & Integral Calculus 414 We can take points in the first polar line to join with P. 1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 720/2 If the given curve has a node, the first polar passes through this node,..and..if the curve has a cusp, the first polar passes through the cusp, touching the curve there. 2009 F. Sullivan tr. M. C. Beltrametti et al. Lect. Curves, Surfaces & Projective Varieties v. 138 The first polar of each of these points with respect to X passes through Q. first position n. (a) Ballet a position in which the heels are placed together and the feet are turned outwards; (also) a position in which the arms are held slightly curved in front of the body at waist level; (b) Music the lowest possible position of the hand on the fingerboard of a stringed instrument. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > dancing > ballet > [noun] > positions first position1706 fourth position1884 Third Position1953 society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > playing instruments > playing stringed instrument > [noun] > position of left hand first position1706 1706 P. Siris tr. R.-A. Feuillet Art of Dancing xv. 28 A step in the first Position Backwards. 1880 H. E. Krehbiel tr. K. Courvoisier Technics of Violin Playing (1881) iii. 14 (caption) Correct position of the thumb and fingers in the first position. 1884 O. Guttmann Aesthetic Physical Culture iv. i. 144 The practice for the lower port de bras is: Fifth position of the feet, first position of the arms. 1884 D. Anderson Compl. Ball-room Guide 10 First position, heels together, and toes turned out at a right angle. 1913 M. B. Gilbert Gilbert Dances I. 133/1 Pirouette to right, arms in first position. 1957 G. B. L. Wilson Dict. Ballet 124 In the First Position the legs are together and the heels touching but not overlapping, with the feet fully turned out in a straight line. 1966 B. Schwartz tr. C. Flesch Violin Fingering i. 9 The basic position of the hand at the lower end of the fingerboard, with the first finger naturally poised to produce a second above the open string, constitutes the ‘first position’. 2001 Kenyon Rev. Winter 157 The women suddenly turn their feet out into first position (a move that brought tears to Martha Graham's eyes). first prize n. the award given to the person who, or animal or thing which, comes first in a race, sporting contest, etc., or wins a competition based on merit, skill, or excellence in a particular field; (also) the prize of greatest value offered in a lottery, raffle, or similar competition.Sometimes in extended use (usually ironic). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > token of victory or supreme excellence > [noun] > prize > first first prize1550 agonism1592 blue ribbon1770 1550 T. Nicolls tr. Thucydides Hist. Peloponnesian War vi. iv. f. cliii^v I [sc. the owner of a chariot] dyd wynne the firste pryze of the course. 1697 J. Potter Archæologiæ Græcæ I. ii. xx. 375 The Musical Numbers..were sung by Musicians, who contended for Victory; the first Prize was won by Terpander. 1788 W. Falconer Diss. Infl. Passions Introd. p. i The following Essay has been crowned with the first prize medal of the Medical Society. 1845 Beck's Florist 137 The first prize for twenty Roses in pots. 1868 Times 20 June 10/4 Lord Sondes obtained the first prize in red polled bulls. 1915 M. Gyte Diary 25 May (1999) 54 [In] a whist drive at the Sheldon School... our Ethel won first prize (sugar basin, jug and tray). 1976 Beano 3 Jan. 6/2 Yahoo! I've won first prize in a crossword competition! 1991 R. R. McCammon Boy's Life iii. iv. 250 Cory, if there's ever a biggest-liar-in-town contest, you'll win first prize for sure! 2007 Snooker Scene Aug. 16 Wattana..missed the yellow and Higgins controlled the decider to secure the £25,000 first prize. first reading n. (also with capital initials) the first of a number of occasions (typically three) on which a bill must be formally presented to a legislative assembly before it becomes law (cf. reading n.¹ 2c). ΚΠ 1571 Orig. Jrnl. House of Commons (Parl. Archives MS. HC/CL/JO/1/2) 3 The Bill concernyng comynge to the churche and receavinge of the comunyon the fyrste readinge. 1641 Order & Course of passing Bills in Parl. iv. 10 A Bill may be preferred to be secondly read the next day after the first reading. 1763 R. Burn Eccl. Hist. I. 62 A bill was brought into the house of commons, for erecting and augmenting of vicarages, and had a first reading, but proceeded no further. 1865 Daily National Intelligencer (Washington) 15 Nov. First readings (which, as I have heretofore explained, are mere formalities) have been given in both houses to all other bills. 1956 Times of India 11 May 1/3 The Minister will reply to the first reading debate tomorrow. 2011 N. Kochan & R. Goodyear Corruption iii. 67 The Bribery Bill had its first reading in the House of Lords in November 2009. first refusal n. an agreement with a prospective customer that goods, etc., will not be on sale to others until he or she has refused them (cf. refusal n. 3); also figurative and in extended use. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > buying > [noun] > purchase before others are offered the chance > offer to specific customer for first refusal1638 1638 T. Heywood Wise-woman of Hogsdon iv. sig. H2 You may haue view thereof, but otherwise. A Lady that hath crau'd the sight thereof: Must haue the first refusall. 1712 B. Grosvenor Temper Jesus towards Enemies 8 All the World are to wait until they have had the first refusal of the Gospel-Salvation. 1871 G. H. Lewes Let. 5 Apr. (1955) V. 139 We want £100 for the early sheets—the poem to appear in America in June—and of course we give you the first refusal. 1970 M. Kelly Spinifex i. 12 I made damn sure this department got the first refusal of your services. 2007 Independent (Nexis) 27 Mar. 36 The company..would have first refusal on poster sites at key Olympics locations. First Republic n. the republican regime governing France from the abolition of the monarchy in 1792 until Napoleon’s accession as emperor in 1804.In early use probably not as a fixed collocation. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > a or the system of government > specific regimes > [noun] > in France reign of terror1784 ancient regime1792 ancien régime1794 terrorism1795 First Republic1800 White Terror1805 restoration1815 consulate1845 Red Terror1864 commune1871 marshalate1874 1800 T. Erskine Substance of Speech on Motion for Addr. to Throne 7 He was here..as the French King's Ambassador, but he presented letters of credence from the first Republic, with the most unqualified professions of respect and friendship. 1831 Morning Post 20 Apr. That horrible guillotine which yet exists reposing in the Hotel de Ville from the infernal glories of the first Republic. 1852 New Monthly Mag. Nov. 343 Only let Napoleon III. remember that the first Empire received France from the hands of the First Republic. 1964 R. R. Palmer Age Democratic Revol. (1989) II. vi. 180 In documents of the First Republic..we never find the three..words [Liberty, Equality, Fraternity] as an official triad. 2001 D. A. Bell Cult of Nation in France 208 Peasants of course, were the original targets of the First Republic's efforts at national integration. first responder n. North American a member of the emergency services who is first on the scene at an (esp. medical) emergency, esp. a member of a fire or police department trained to provide emergency medical care. ΘΚΠ society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > policeman > with other specific duties receiver1829 shoo-fly1877 charge-inspector1887 sparrow cop1896 handler1908 courtesy cop1938 community policeman1941 first responder1975 the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > coldness > extinguishing fire > [noun] > fire-fighting > fireman > specific bitterc1467 engineman1724 pipeman1763 vamp1877 nozzle man1885 pumper1912 smoke-jumper1940 tillerman1968 first responder1975 1975 Jet 20 Feb. 18/1 The course, now taught at Harvard, trains ‘first responders’,—firemen, police and ambulance personnel to administer medical aid. 1980 N.Y. Times 15 Sept. b4/5 There have been repeated efforts to get the Police Department to assume ‘first responder’ first aid responsibilities and train its officers in resuscitation for heart-attack victims. 1997 Vancouver Sun 29 Jan. a12/4 Although firefighters have less knowledge, experience and skill in medical matters, it is critical to fire departments that they retain their role as medical ‘first responders’. 2007 U.S. News & World Rep. 19 Feb. 34/1 Our already strained first responders have little to no surge capacity to handle large-scale events. first resurrection n. Christian Church a limited resurrection of the dead described in Revelation 20:4–6 as occurring one thousand years before the general resurrection, variously interpreted as the resurrection of the martyrs, the resurrection of all righteous people, or believers' spiritual resurrection to new life; cf. resurrection n. 2. [Compare post-classical Latin prima resurrectio (early 3rd cent. in Tertullian).] ΚΠ c1350 Apocalypse St. John: A Version (Harl. 874) (1961) 169 (MED) Blissed he is & shal be þat haþ part of þe first resureccioun. ?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1871) III. 111 (MED) Moyses and Aaron schalle brynge furthe that arke of the testamente in the firste resurreccion [a1387 J. Trevisa tr. arisynge at þe day of dome]. 1548 J. Champneys Harvest is at Hand sig. B.ii The bynding of Satan and the fyrst resurrection spoken of in the Apocalipses. 1610 H. Broughton Reuelation Holy Apocalyps (new ed.) xx. 278 The first resurrection is by faith, to be risen with Christ. 1651 T. L. Advt. to Q. Elizabeth in Πολύπενϑεος Θρηνωδία 48 That Holinesse and Newnesse of life, which the Scripture so often commendeth unto us, by the names Vivification, renovation spirituall, and the first resurrection. 1689 C. Mather Souldiers Counselled 33 You may hope to be found among the Blessed and Holy Ones, that shall have a part in the First Resurrection. 1727 J. Asgill Metamorph. Man i. 141 The two Records in the Thessalonians and Corinthians, left us as a Platform of the first Resurrection. 1769 J. Gill Body Doctrinal Divinity II. viii. 1029 All the old testament-saints, as well as new, will have a part in the first resurrection, and share in the millennium-reign. 1842 W. Miller Reply to Stuart iii. 64 The wicked, the rest of the dead, cannot be included in the first resurrection.., because those are blessed and holy. 1894 Jewish Q. Rev. 6 463 Faith and baptism and the gift of the Spirit bring about the first resurrection—that newness of life, that living with Christ. 1992 L. E. Keck in H. Obayashi Death & Afterlife ii. vi. 92 The first resurrection represents the vindication of the righteous martyrs. first rib sign n. Medicine (now rare) (in physical diagnosis) a sign associated esp. with pericardial effusion, in which the left clavicle is elevated, allowing the upper edge of the first rib to be palpated as far as the sternum. ΚΠ 1896 W. Ewart in Brit. Med. Jrnl. 21 Mar. 720/1 The First Rib Sign.—In all cases of considerable pericardial effusion which I have examined for this sign, it was possible to feel with the finger the upper edge of the first rib as far as its sternal attachment. 1922 A. A. Stevens Pract. Med. 703 It is possible to feel the upper edge of the first rib as far as its sternal attachment (Ewart's first rib sign). 1932 Amer. Jrnl. Surg. 17 4/2 Less constant pressure symptoms were reported too infrequently to be given percentage recognition: 1. A dry reflex cough... 8. Ewart's first rib sign. first-round adj. of, belonging to, or designating the earliest of a series of rounds or stages into which a sporting competition, set of negotiations, selection process, etc., is divided. ΚΠ 1879 Western Mail (Cardiff) 27 Nov. 4/3 These clubs played a first-round match at Swansea on Wednesday. 1948 Gastonia (N. Carolina) Gaz. 22 Nov. 1/2 There was no assurance that they would try to reach any sort of final conclusions in their first round talks. 1954 Life 29 Mar. 45/1 André Stil, Communist editor.., didn't win the 50% plus vote required for a first-round victory. 1989 W. Houston Inside Maple Leaf Gardens vii. 82 The Leafs sent to the Red Wings two first-round draft choices. 2002 M. Chang Holding Serve viii. 181 I don't know how, but I won my first-round match. first run n. U.S. (a) adj. designating a film being shown for the first time or a cinema in which films are normally first shown; (b) n. the first showing or première of a film. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > film show > [noun] > first showing first run1910 society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > a film > type of film > [noun] > other types romantic comedy1748 epic1785 pre-release1871 foreign film1899 frivol1903 dramedy1905 film loop1906 first run1910 detective film1911 colour film1912 news film1912 topical1912 cinemicrograph1913 scenic1913 sport1913 newsreel1914 serial1914 sex comedy1915 war picture1915 telefilm1919 comic1920 true crime1923 art house1925 quickie1926 turkey1927 two-reeler1928 smellie1929 disaster film1930 musical1930 feelie1931 sticky1934 action comedy1936 quota quickie1936 re-release1936 screwball comedy1937 telemovie1937 pickup1939 video film1939 actioner1940 space opera1941 telepic1944 biopic1947 kinescope1949 TV movie1949 pièce noire1951 pièce rose1951 deepie1953 misterioso1953 film noir1956 policier1956 psychodrama1956 free film1958 prequel1958 co-production1959 glossy1960 sexploiter1960 sci-fier1961 tie-in1962 chanchada1963 romcom1963 wuxia1963 chick flick1964 showreel1964 mockumentary1965 sword-and-sandal1965 schlockbuster1966 mondo1967 peplum1968 thriller1968 whydunit1968 schlocker1969 buddy-buddy movie1972 buddy-buddy film1974 buddy film1974 science-fictioner1974 screwball1974 buddy movie1975 slasher movie1975 swashbuckler1975 filmi1976 triptych1976 autobiopic1977 Britcom1977 kidflick1977 noir1977 bodice-ripper1979 chopsocky1981 date movie1983 kaiju eiga1984 screener1986 neo-noir1987 indie1990 bromance2001 hack-and-slash2002 mumblecore2005 dark fantasy2007 hack-and-slay2007 gorefest2012 kidult- society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > a film > type of film > [adjective] > other types costumed1851 foreign language1904 first run1910 Keystone1912 photodramatic1914 serial1915 coming of age1919 edge-of-your-seat1922 psychodramatic1927 omnibus1928 straight1936 low-budget1937 no-budget1937 screwball1937 Ealing1939 blockbusting1943 private eye1946 film noir1952 white telephone1952 portmanteau1953 uncut1953 anthology1955 three-D1955 Hammer1958 noir1958 co-production1959 kitchen sink1959 kidult1960 docudrama1961 cinéma vérité1963 maudit1963 filmi1965 indie1968 triple-X1969 XXX1969 drama-documentary1970 cheapie1973 gross-out1973 high concept1973 chopsocky1974 hard R1974 buddy movie1975 sci-fi1977 mondo1979 hack-and-slash1981 microbudget1981 hack-and-slay1982 slice-and-dice1982 fly on the wall1983 psychotronic1983 noirish1985 Mad Max1986 stoner1987 bonkbusting1993 straight to DVD1997 1910 Financial Times 8 Nov. 3/3 Now the public discriminate, and require first-run films almost as soon as they are published. 1921 Moving Picture World 29 Oct. 1067/3 Vitagraph's manager..wrote contracts for first runs in twenty-eight towns. 1937 Life 1 Nov. 115/3 (caption) This Columbia Picture, which will soon be the leading offering of thousands of ‘first-run’ theatres. 1939 L. Jacobs Rise of Amer. Film iv. 53 A ‘first run’, for instance, cost the exhibitor twenty times as much as a ‘twentieth run’. 1971 It 9 Sept. 21/2 The First New York Erotic Film Festival..will be held in first-run Manhattan cinemas. 1976 D. Spoto Art of Alfred Hitchcock xxix. 291 The first time I saw Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo was in 1958, its first run. 2001 S. King Dreamcatcher Epil. 869 The movies were always first-run. The atmosphere, however, was just a teensy bit on the Dr. Strangelove side. first school n. British Education a school for children aged between five and eight or nine years. ΘΚΠ society > education > place of education > school > [noun] > infant school infant-school1824 first school1967 1967 Primary Educ. in Wales (Dept. Educ. & Sci. Central Advisory Council Educ., Wales) iv. 23 We recommend the following long-term plan for primary education: Nursery stage (part-time, voluntary)..3 to median 5:6..Infants stage (First school) Median 5:6..to median 8:6..Junior stage (Middle school) Median 8:6 to median 12:6. 1973 New Society 10 May 294/1 The eight to twelve year old middle school was first seriously discussed in the early 1960s, when it was rumoured that the Plowden committee might eventually consider a system of first schools for the five to eight year olds. 1986 Guardian 17 Feb. 6/2 The village would consent to the school becoming a first school, rather than a primary. 2003 Eastern Daily Press (Norwich) (Nexis) 16 Sept. A schooling reshuffle..which will mean closure of the first school and the transfer of its 100 pupils to the nearby middle school, which will be given primary status. first secretary n. a person who is the most senior of those having the title of secretary; spec. (a) a senior officer on the staff of a diplomatic mission; (b) British the most senior Secretary of State in the Government; (c) the chief officer of a political party, trade union, etc. ΘΚΠ society > authority > office > holder of office > public officials > senior or chief public officials > [noun] first secretary1562 society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > government minister > [noun] > minister in British government > types of first secretary1562 Secretary of State1589 Minister of State1595 Minister without Portfolio1831 1562 R. Fills tr. Lawes & Statutes Geneua f. 38 All informacions shall be locked in a cheste or closet, of the whiche the first Secretarye shall haue the kaye, and in his absence the seconde. 1581 R. V. S. tr. Ioyfull Entrie Dukedome of Brabant sig. C.iiii^v Vnderneath is written, By the Emperor, & the saide Prince, & signed by the audience, and first Secretary Verricken, and this Letter was sealed with the seale of the emperor. 1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates 343 Lewis Verreycken Knight, Seigneur of Hamme, Councellor of the Councell of warre, Audiencer and first Secretarie to their Highnesses, [etc.] 1654 Earl of Monmouth tr. G. Bentivoglio Compl. Hist. Warrs Flanders x. 177 From the Queen of England Walsingam, her first Secretary. 1784 tr. ‘E. Habesci’ Present State Ottoman Empire ix. 160 The Tescheragi-Bashaw is the first secretary. 1800 London Chron. 11 Jan. 37/2 Citizen Bignon, formerly Secretary of Legation in Helvetia, to be first Secretary of Legation at Berlin. 1853 Phonetic Jrnl. 13 Aug. 258/1 The first secretary superintends the business of registration, and the second secretary keeps the Union library. 1914 Foreign Office List 160 Counsellor of Embassy, or..First Secretary at posts where the staff does not include a Counsellor. 1972 G. Fischer in A. Bromke & T. Rakowska-Harmstone Communist States in Disarray 1965–1971 viii. 176 The first secretary of the Communist Youth..is ex officio the minister for youth. 1995 Daily Tel. 7 July 26/4 The title of First Secretary then was meant to indicate what it said. There was no provision in our constitutional system for a Deputy Prime Minister, and the First Secretaryship was a convenient way of indicating who was in fact deputy to the premier. 2009 R. Dasgupta Solo 193 At last he arrives, in a party of five, accompanied by the First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party, Eduard Shevardnadze. first sergeant n. U.S. Military the highest ranking non-commissioned officer in a company or equivalent unit. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer by rank > [noun] > sergeant-major first sergeant1776 sergeant-major1802 company sergeant major1813 S.M.1890 top1898 top sergeant1898 major1901 RSM1913 top cutter1917 top kick1918 Sar-Major1919 top soldier1926 Sarn't-major1946 1776 Proc. Convent. Delaware State 12 That Daniel Powel Cox, First Sergeant in the said Company, be and he is hereby promoted to the Rank of Ensign in the said Company. 1847 G. J. Pillow in J. K. Polk Message from President 405 in U.S. Congr. Serial Set (30th Congr., 1st Sess.: Senate Executive Doc. 1) I First Sergeant W. Peat, of this company, who acted with extraordinary daring, lost one of his legs. 1969 I. Kemp Brit. G.I. in Vietnam vi. 117 First Sergeant Bryant, the senior N.C.O. in ‘A’ Force. 2003 A. Swofford Jarhead 47 The first sergeant sauntering out every fifteen minutes to alter my punishment. first serve n. Tennis the first of two permitted attempts at serving; (also) a player's service delivery in this situation, considered as part of his or her repertoire of shots. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > [noun] > types of stroke service1611 serving1688 screw1865 cut1874 cutting service1874 boast1878 first serve1878 smash1882 twister1884 cross-shot1889 lob1890 ground stroke1895 lob ball1900 twist service1901 boasting1902 cross-volley1905 get1911 chop1913 forehander1922 kick serve1925 forehand1934 touch shot1936 dink1939 net shot1961 overhead1964 groundie1967 slice1969 moonball1975 moonballing1977 1878 Stratford Times 24 July The server would, were the first serve to be treated as a simple fault, profit by his own wrong. 1969 New Yorker 14 June 61/2 He spins his first serve in more. 1994 Washington Post 19 Mar. g3/4 Missing first serves more than usual, he won points from the baseline. 2015 N. Atkins Winning over Heiress x. 103 She put everything into her first serve, and it bounced outside the line. first shot n. (in whisky distilling) the first spirit which comes over into the condenser; = foreshot n. 2. ΚΠ 1743 Sel. Trans. Soc. Improvers Knowl. Agric. Scotl. 289 Keep your Pipes cool the first Shot of your Spirits. 1821 A. Ure Dict. Chem. at Distillation Redistillation of the low wines..gives at first the fiery spirit called first-shot, milky and crude, from the presence of a little oil. 1840 Daily Picayune (New Orleans) 30 Aug. 2/4 O, it's illigant, Mrs Mahoney, and as strong as fust shot. 1922 L. McKay Mountains of Mourne xi. 104 It proved to be ‘First Shot’, and before all was over, poor Larkin was ‘shot’ right enough. 1992 B. Fussell Story of Corn iv. 257 When a doubling comes through the worm, the first shots are as high as 150 or 160 proof, but it gets weaker as it continues. first sight n. (a) see at first sight at sight n.¹ 6a, love at first sight at love n.¹ Phrases 8; (b) attributive designating something occurring, made, etc., at first sight; †(c) that which is seen for the first time (obsolete).Sense (c) apparently represents an isolated use. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > sight of something > [noun] > first sight sight1471 first sight1741 1741 S. Richardson Pamela IV. lxiii. 419 Has extraordinary Notions of a First-sight Love. 1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer iii. 48 Then your first sight deceived you; for I think him one of the most brazen first sights that ever astonished my senses. 1859 F. W. Farrar Julian Home iii. 27 Without any first-sight vows of eternal friendship. 1921 A. R. Lord Princ. Politics vi. 156 This crude, first-sight democratic theory. 2010 L. Brandt Avenging Angels (Electronic ed.) Not the first-sight kind of love, mind you. † first-sighted adj. Obsolete occurring or made at first sight. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > sight of something > [adjective] > first sight first-sighted1747 1747 S. Richardson Clarissa I. xl. 276 To compliment our own sagacity, in our first-sighted impressions. 1760 Voy. & Cruises Commodore Walker I. vi. 92 Their complaisance on the first acquaintance appears to be the expression of a first-sighted friendship. 1848 Intellect. Repository Jan. 13 You may easily fall into false conclusions. Such a first-sighted view is totally erroneous. first-spear n. (in pig-sticking) the first thrust which draws blood; the person who makes this thrust. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > hunting > hunting specific animals > [noun] > pigs > first thrust first-spear1837 the world > food and drink > hunting > hunter > hunter of specific animal > [noun] > of pigs first-spear1837 pig hunter1837 spear1849 pigsticker1866 1837 New Sporting Mag. Aug. 122 The first spear..is entitled to the tail as well as tushes. 1898 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport II. 92 The object of the run is to kill the pig, and not entirely for getting the honour of ‘first spear’. 1920 Blackwood's Mag. Jan. 112/2 Much of the supreme joy in pig-sticking lies in the successful struggle for first-spear and in outgeneraling and outriding one's friends. 2010 T. Mason & E. Riedi Sport & Mil. ii. 72 To preserve their friendship they decide that whichever gets first spear at the Meerut Christmas meet will win the right to propose to her first. first stomach n. [compare post-classical Latin primus stomachus (1559 or earlier), primus venter (1521 or earlier)] (in an animal with multiple stomachs or a multi-chambered stomach) the stomach into which food passes from the oesophagus, spec. the rumen of a ruminant; (in early use also) †the crop of a bird (obsolete). ΚΠ 1595 Problemes of Aristotle sig. C^v They [sc. horned beasts] doe first conuey their meate into their first stomacke or belly, and then returne it from whence it came and chew it. 1674 R. Godfrey Var. Injuries in Physick 118 This first Stomach, (or the Crop) one of our moderns tels us may be wounded and sown up again..: but not the second or true Stomach, which is most Vital. 1791 R. Beilby Gen. Hist. Quadrupeds (ed. 2) 22 The food, after mastication, is thrown into the first stomach, where it remains for some time. 1807 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 97 97 The first stomach of the whale is not only a reservoir, but the food undergoes a considerable change in it. 1915 Bull. U.S. Dept. Agric. No. 176. 41 The only hope of destroying the alkaloid under such circumstances would be by flooding the first stomach with the antidote. 2011 J. M. Bennett Compl. Guide Grass-fed Cattle vi. 146 The first stomach, the rumen, contains organisms that break down fiber in grass. first strike n. and adj. (a) n. a first aggressive attack with nuclear weapons; (b) adj. of or relating to such an attack; also figurative. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > attack > [noun] > first nuclear attack first strike1956 1956 Bull. Atomic Sci. Apr. 102/1 How many carriers and nuclear weapons of the West will be destroyed by the first strike? 1960 New Left Rev. July 2/1 First-strike nuclear weapons. 1962 Listener 5 Apr. 605/2 A Russian first strike. 1969 Daily Tel. 17 Nov. 14 The most sinister aspect of Russia's nuclear expansion is her concentration on a variety of giant ‘first-strike’ weapons, designed to knock out American launchers and control centres. 2006 A. Goodman Intuition ii. iv. 73 We're going to lose our first-strike advantage... We'll have to share credit with copycats at Stanford. 2006 Foreign Affairs Mar. 44 The ability to destroy all of an adversary's nuclear forces, eliminating the possibility of a retaliatory strike, is known as a first-strike capability, or nuclear primacy. first substance n. [after post-classical Latin substantia prima (12th cent. in British sources), itself after ancient Greek πρώτη οὐσία (Aristotle Categories).] Philosophy a distinct individual thing; = substance n. 2. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > metaphysics > [noun] > matter or substance substancea1398 first substance1551 subject1590 hypostasis1605 byss1649 body1651 substratum1651 support1660 general substance1697 supporter1697 substrate1730 object-subject1867 the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > ancient Greek philosophy > post-Socratic philosophy > [noun] > Aristotelianism > elements of material cause1393 matterc1395 matter subjecta1398 predicamenta1425 quality?1537 first substance1551 predicable1551 property1551 proprium1551 transcendent1581 final cause1587 category1588 habit1588 ante-predicament?1596 postpredicament1599 entelechy1603 transumption1628 secondary1656 objective cause1668 transcendental1668 general substance1697 third man1801 thought-form1834 posterioristic universal1902 ousia1917 1551 T. Wilson Rule of Reason sig. Cvj The first substance is called euery singuler persone or propre name... The second substance comprehendeth both the general worde, and the kinde also of euery singuler persone. 1697 tr. F. Burgersdijck Monitio Logica i. iv. 8 Substance is either First or Second. The First is a Singular Substance, or that which is not said of a Subject, as Alexander, Bucephalus. The Second..that which is said of a Subject, as Man, Horse. 1830 tr. Duns Scotus in S. Turner Hist. Eng. Middle Ages (ed. 3) IV. 493 Every thing which is another thing than the first substance, is either said of the first substance, or is in it. 1903 W. Turner Hist. Philos. 133 The first substance (οὐσία πρώτη) is the individual, which can neither exist in another nor be predicated of another. 2000 J. F. Wippel Metaphysical Thought of Thomas Aquinas ii. vii. 201 If I say ‘Socrates is an animal’, the predicate animal is predicated of the individual or first substance, i.e., Socrates. first table n. the first part of the Ten Commandments, relating to religious duties (thought to have occupied the first of the two stone tablets of Moses) (cf. second table n. (a) at second adj. and n.² Compounds 1). ΘΚΠ society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > Testament > Old Testament > [noun] > Mosaic dispensation > decalogue > division of first tablec1405 second table1502 c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Pardoner's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 311 Bihoold and se þ^t in the firste table Of heighe goddes hestes. a1500 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (Hunterian) (1976) i. 2 (MED) Crist enformyd mor þe ȝonge ryche man in þe preceptys of þe secunde table þan of þe firste table. 1605 King James VI & I Speach in Last Session Parl. sig. B All the impieties and sins, that can be devised against both the first and second table. 1783 E. Arthur Serm. Var. Subj. 254 To all the commandments of God..they must have a sincere respect, and must obey the second, as well as the first table of the law. 1873 H. Rogers Superhuman Origin Bible i. 21 The great commands of the ‘Second Table’ are ultimately based on the relations in which all creatures stand to Him who demands our homage in the ‘First Table’. 1941 Church Hist. 10 217 The natural law is held by Luther to have been misconceived: the pagans left out of their conception of it the religious element expressed in the first table of the Commandments. 2012 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 1 Jan. (Book Review) 12 He stated that the colony's civil authorities could not regulate ‘the First Table’, those among the Ten Commandments that governed religion; they could prosecute someone for adultery, but not for making..graven images. first-time buyer n. a buyer of property who has not previously owned a home, and therefore has no house to sell. ΚΠ 1966 Times 18 July 15/1 It also appeals to first-time buyers so there is little hold-up of sales pending the disposal of former dwellings. 1973 Times 9 Oct. 4/4 The Building Societies Association was taken unawares by the Government's specific proposals to help first-time buyers. 1986 What Mortgage June 8/2 Two out of every five applicants for new mortgages were first time buyers. 2008 D. Lodge Deaf Sentence (2009) iv. 45 These properties..still dominate the district, interspersed with more recent post-WW2 redbrick developments—low-profile blocks of flats and tiny terraced town houses for first-time buyers. first timer n. a person who does or is something for the first time (originally spec. a person on a first prison sentence); (also occasionally) something done for the first time or at the first attempt. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > newness or novelty > [noun] > newness, freshness, or originality > one or those who are new to something first timer1881 new entry1896 Johnny-come-lately1943 1881 Bulletin (Sydney) 8 Oct. 9/3 In Darlinghurst..No. 1 yard contains men convicted three times or more. No. 2, twice-convicted men; No. 3, what is called ‘first-timers’. 1902 H. Hapgood Autobiogr. Thief in Frank Leslie's Pop. Monthly Oct. 592/2 Other convicts..tipped me off through the door to everything in stir which was necessary for a first-timer to know. 1921 Pop. Mech. Jan. 25 We are being deluged with first-timers, few of whom understand what America really stands for. 1944 Billboard 30 Dec. 20/3 The first-timers at a show had gotten the hang of it. 1976 Evening Post (Nottingham) 15 Dec. 15/4 (advt.) Cheery bright house, ideal for first timers. 1977 Hongkong Standard 12 Apr. 11/2 He centred to Leung Kam-fat who, from just 12 yards out, did well with his first-timer. 2005 Washington Post 25 June f1/1 Many first-timers..are buying fixer-uppers just to get into the market. first war n. (with the, and now usually capital initials) the First World War (1914–18). ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > war > types of war > [noun] > other specific war > First World War Great War1914 Kaiser's war1914 Kaiser Bill's war1915 First World War1918 first war1939 World War I1939 1939 Motor Boating Dec. 12/1 The British Admiralty had at least a year's warning of the second world war, but just as prior to the first war, the brass hats of the British Navy ignored the pleas of the British yachtsmen. 1967 Listener 30 Nov. 705/3 Around 1930, alienated and disaffected youth was being manufactured mainly in Germany, where the First War had produced the biggest earthquake. 2001 J. Grisham Painted House 76 Our house had been built before the First War. first woman n. [after Italian prima donna prima donna n.] now historical = prima donna n. 1. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > singer > opera-singer > [noun] > prima donna opera queen1747 prima donna1754 prima1768 first woman1772 prima donna assoluta1854 diva1883 1772 tr. C. F. Badini Il Carnovale di Venezia i. 19 Posa. Who lives in this house? Can. The first woman of the comic opera at the theatre, called St. Moses. 1827 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe Musical Reminisc. (ed. 2) 47 At one of the smaller theatres, however, the part of first woman in an intermezzo..was filled by a very promising singer,..who became in time one of the best first men. 1880 W. S. Rockstro in G. Grove Dict. Music II. 509/1 [In an Opera] the First Woman (Prima donna) was always a high Soprano. 1948 R. M. Myers Handel's Messiah 14 The ‘first woman’ or prima donna was always a high soprano; the ‘second woman’ and the ‘third woman’ were contraltos. 1992 J. Rosselli Singers Ital. Opera (1995) 130 From 1750 we can also observe a widening of differentials between the fees paid to stars (the first man or first woman or both) and those paid to the other singers. First World War n. the war which began on 28 July 1914 with hostilities between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, and ultimately involved the majority of the nations of the world, suspended by armistice on 11 November 1918.Earlier called the Great War. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > war > types of war > [noun] > other specific war > First World War Great War1914 Kaiser's war1914 Kaiser Bill's war1915 First World War1918 first war1939 World War I1939 1889 R. B. Anderson tr. V. Rydberg Teutonic Mythol. 399 The giant-maids..took part in the first world-war on the side hostile to Odin. 1914 E. Haeckel in Indianapolis Star 27 Sept. 37/1 There is no doubt that the course and character of the feared ‘European war’..will become the first world war in the full sense of the word.] 1918 C. à C. Repington Diary 10 Sept. in First World War (1920) II. xxxvii. 391 To call it The German War was too much flattery for the Boche. I suggested The World War as a shade better title, and finally we mutually agreed to call it The First World War in order to prevent the millennium folk from forgetting that the history of the world was the history of war. 1931 S. Jameson Richer Dust xix. 552 The salvage of what a dear dead and let us piously hope well-damned colonel preferred to call the First World War. 1933 L. Stallings (title) The First World War: a photographic history. 1938 Life 28 May 2/3 As a student of, and participant in, The First World War, or Dress Rehearsal. 1958 Listener 19 June 1020/2 The outbreak of the first world war in the present century. 2011 Daily Tel. 20 Sept. 20/1 Women who, during the First World War, would approach any man who hadn't joined up and present him with a white feather. first youth n. early youth; esp. in from, in, or past one's first youth. ΘΚΠ the world > life > source or principle of life > age > youth > [noun] youthc897 youngheada1300 youngthc1330 juvent1377 juventy1377 first youtha1387 youthheada1400 joyfnesc1400 junessec1430 young daysa1464 juventudec1470 younga1475 youngness?1505 flower?1507 juventute1541 prime tide1549 spring1553 April1583 springtime1583 nonage1584 prime1584 flowering youth1586 primrose1590 greenc1595 dancing-days1599 primrose-time1606 leaping timea1616 salad daysa1616 minority1632 juvenency1656 coltagec1720 youdith1723 veal-bones1785 whelphood1847 colthood1865 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1879) VII. 417 (MED) He spended his first ȝowþe in liberal artes and sciens. a1450 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess (Tanner 346) (1871) l. 800 In my firste youth..full litil gode .I. couth. a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1537) f. 74^v If in the fyrste youthe.., if dethe had come and knocked at the gate, ye shulde haue had cause to be sory. a1631 J. Donne XXVI. Serm. (1661) xxiv. 354 Those whom they make up there, whom they have had from their first youth there. 1789 H. More Let. (1925) 126 She is past her first youth..and subject to caution. 1878 H. James Europeans I. i. 7 She was not pretty... Neither was she in her first youth. 1992 B. Unsworth Sacred Hunger lii. 599 Though past his first youth he was a fine runner. 2009 C. Pelling in M. Griffin Compan. to Julius Caesar xviii. 260 Seizing the absolute power he had desired from his first youth. C2. Uses of the adverb with adjectives (mostly participial).With first-moved compare mover n.¹ 1. first-begot adj. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > [noun] > first-born child firstbornc1350 first-begottenc1384 first birtha1387 forbirtha1400 forthbirtha1400 primitivec1400 primogenitc1429 first-begot1551 primogeniture1596 society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > relationship to parent > [adjective] > first-born eldestc1000 first-begottenc1350 first-gottena1382 firstbornc1384 first-gendereda1398 first-kinneda1400 oldest1478 ayne1483 first-conceived1574 eigne1586 eldest-born1608 primogenit1619 first-begot1671 primogenitala1706 old1706 primogenitary1827 primogenitive1842 1551 W. Samuel Abridgemente Goddes Statutes in Myter sig. c.ii^v The swete bread feast w^t fyrst begote and saboth daye is tolde The first frutes Moises hard exprest whose face dyd shyne lyke golde. 1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd i. 89 His first-begot we know. 1700 J. Oldmixon Grove iv. 28 I ne're could humane rage repel, But by the Monsters fury fell, Which often does her first begot, and darling Sons devour. a1901 F. W. H. Myers Coll. Poems (1921) 385 See first-begot from Nought and Night The gathering swarms, the flamy gale! first-built adj. ΚΠ 1612 J. Donne Second Anniuersarie 17 in First Anniuersarie No stubborne sullen Anchorit,..Beddded [sic] and Bath'd in all his Ordures, dwels So fowly as our soules, in their first-built Cels. 1887 C. Bowen tr. Virgil Æneid iii, in tr. Virgil in Eng. Verse 150 I..Found my first-built walls in an evil hour on the shore. 2012 J. Alig & S. Kilmer East vs West Showdown 48/1 Dr. Atol from Pasadena, California, is 85 years young and still runs his first-built gow-job from 1945. first-conceived adj. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > relationship to parent > [adjective] > first-born eldestc1000 first-begottenc1350 first-gottena1382 firstbornc1384 first-gendereda1398 first-kinneda1400 oldest1478 ayne1483 first-conceived1574 eigne1586 eldest-born1608 primogenit1619 first-begot1671 primogenitala1706 old1706 primogenitary1827 primogenitive1842 1574 T. Tymme tr. J. de Serres Three Partes Comm. Ciuill Warres Fraunce ii. 117 There is no greater force than the first conceyued opinion of Religion, whether y^e same be good or euill. a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) iii. ii. 44 The first-conceiued sound. View more context for this quotation 1787 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 971/2 Yet even Milton is not always on his guard in appropriating his language to the first-conceived image. 2002 Goya: Images of Women (Catal. Exhib. National Gallery of Art, Washington) 258 The first conceived themes of the Caprichos. first-created adj. ΚΠ 1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum First created, protoplastes. 1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 83 O first created Beam. 1999 S. Rushdie Ground beneath her Feet (2000) ii. 26 The First-Created Man, Gayomart, had indeed been killed by Angra Mainyu long ago. † first-done adj. Obsolete ΚΠ 1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum First done or spedde, præuersus. † first-endeavouring adj. Obsolete ΚΠ 1673 J. Milton At Vacation Exercise in Poems (new ed.) 64 Hail native Language, that by sinews weak Didst move my first endeavouring tongue to speak. 1820 J. Keats Hyperion: a Fragm. ii, in Lamia & Other Poems 177 Murmurs, which his first-endeavouring tongue Caught infant-like from the far-foamed sands. † first-famed adj. Obsolete ΚΠ a1754 W. Hamilton Maid of Gallowshiels i, in Poems & Songs (1850) 24 The first famed author of our ancient race Was Colin hight. 1859 Ld. Tennyson Guinevere in Idylls of King 242 The two first-famed for courtesy. first-formed adj. ΚΠ 1496 J. Alcock Mons Perfeccionis (de Worde) sig. bv Our fyrst fourmed faders. 1874 C. Darwin in Life & Lett. (1887) III. 194 I have found first-formed theories erroneous. 1993 E. N. K. Clarkson Invertebr. Palaeontol. & Evol. (ed. 3) vii. 155/1 Each grows from the first-formed part. first-found adj. ΚΠ 1594 T. Blundeville Exercises ii. f. 50^v So shall you haue the first found number. 1854 H. Miller My Schools & Schoolmasters viii. 77 In a nodular mass of bluish-gray limestone..I laid open my first-found ammonite. 2007 S. Pitina & P. Prudovsky tr. E. E. Kuz'mina Origins of Indo-Iranians iv. xxvi. 360 It is a common tradition in archeology to name a culture or a type after the first-found complex. † first-framed adj. Obsolete ΚΠ 1565 B. Googe tr. ‘M. Palingenius’ Zodiake of Life (new ed.) vii. sig. X.viii This same first framed world doth passe the world that senses see. 1631 Earl of Manchester Contemplatio Mortis 10 Our first framed father Adam. † first-gendered adj. [after post-classical Latin primogenitus, adjective and noun (see primogenit n. and adj.)] Obsolete ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > relationship to parent > [adjective] > first-born eldestc1000 first-begottenc1350 first-gottena1382 firstbornc1384 first-gendereda1398 first-kinneda1400 oldest1478 ayne1483 first-conceived1574 eigne1586 eldest-born1608 primogenit1619 first-begot1671 primogenitala1706 old1706 primogenitary1827 primogenitive1842 a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. viii. xxviii. 509 Þis is þe firste gendrid [L. primogenita] liȝt þat was imaad þe firste day. a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Psalms civ. 36 He killide ech the firste gendrid thing [L. primogenitum] in the lond of hem. † first-gotten adj. [after post-classical Latin primogenitus, adjective and noun (see primogenit n. and adj.); compare first-begotten adj.] Obsolete ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > relationship to parent > [adjective] > first-born eldestc1000 first-begottenc1350 first-gottena1382 firstbornc1384 first-gendereda1398 first-kinneda1400 oldest1478 ayne1483 first-conceived1574 eigne1586 eldest-born1608 primogenit1619 first-begot1671 primogenitala1706 old1706 primogenitary1827 primogenitive1842 a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Psalms civ. 36 He smot alle the firste goten [L. primogenitum] in the lond of hem. c1430 N. Love Mirror Blessed Life (Brasenose e.9) (1908) 50 Whan the fader of heuene brouȝte his first goten [a1450 Yale geten] sone in to this worlde. 1659 W. Hicks Ἀποκάλυψις Ἀποκάλυψεως (Rev. i. 5) 21 Christ is here called the first-gotten of the dead. first-grown adj. ΚΠ 1582 R. Robinson tr. J. Leland Learned Assertion Life Prince Arthure x. f. 19 An other Achilles Arthure was, whose first growne grace, through out his table rounde Him Phrigius made as of a Branch with fruites which doth a bound. 1859 T. W. Field Pear Culture 50 In the fall, pear seedlings must always be removed, and the first grown and best rooted selected for the nursery rows, to be budded the next summer. 2007 Farmers Weekly (Nexis) 19 Oct. Agronomic measurements taken during the trials may give some clues to why first-grown oilseed rape is more successful. first-intended adj. ΚΠ 1581 W. Allen Apol. Two Eng. Colleges iii. f. 24^v The first intended and most certaine fruite therof (ouer and aboue the prouision for the time to come) being, to saue..soules. 1785 J. Phillips Treat. Inland Navigation 47 900l. less than the first-intended expence. 2010 M. H. Oermann & J. C. Hays Writing for Publ. in Nursing (ed. 2) 132 The author needs to choose a journal that would provide an avenue for publishing the first intended manuscript. † first-invented adj. Obsolete ΚΠ 1570 J. God Disc. Great Crueltie of Widowe sig. E.v^v I am the wight that tyde your tongue, now let me loose the same: And for the first inuented wrong, no more repute the blame. 1827 G. Higgins Celtic Druids 35 The first invented letters. first-known adj. ΚΠ 1567 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. ii. xii. 230 The Firste knowen Diuisers, & Authours of it, were the olde Heretiques called the Manichees. 1684 T. Goddard Plato's Demon 178 So sure it is, that the first known Governments upon earth were Monarchical. 1822 London Lit. Gaz. 4 May 281/1 The terrific convulsions of the elements at the first known eruption of the Vesuvius. 1929 H. W. Haggard Devils, Drugs, & Doctors x. 242 The first known outbreak of syphilis in the Colonies occurred in Boston in 1646. 2002 Mandala Mar. 90/2 King Udrayana, who lived during Shakyamuni Buddha's time, created the first known image of Buddha. † first-made adj. Obsolete ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > [adjective] > created or produced > first- or last-created first-made1538 last-made1607 1538 T. Elyot Dict. at Protopages Firste made or wrought. 1630 M. Drayton Noahs Floud in Muses Elizium 94 The earthly heauen, where he had plac't, That first-made man. first-mentioned adj. ΚΠ 1594 J. Smythe Certen Instr. Militarie 138 This kind of skirmishing in so great troupes doth resemble the first mentioned skirmishing. 1755 T. Hitt Treat. Fruit-trees ii. 5 It will be proper of the first mentioned drains, whether they are pleasure grounds, kitchen gardens, or orchards. 1877 J. D. Chambers Divine Worship Eng. 390 The first-mentioned formularies are the more ancient. 1995 C. Nielsen Animal Evol. xxix. 238 Some authors..unite the two first-mentioned classes in the group Eurotatoria, while others..unite the two last-mentioned classes in the group Digononta. first-moved adj. ΚΠ 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. cxxi The dukes..liked and approued, the first argument, & first moued reason. 1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 330 The First-mou'd-Heau'n..Raps with his course..All th' other Spheares. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 483 That Crystalline Sphear whose ballance weighs The Trepidation talkt, and that first mov'd . View more context for this quotation 1696 J. Sergeant Method to Sci. iii. x. 368 A Created Intelligent Being Causes, and all along, Continues, the Motion of the first-moved Bodies, which move the rest. 1737 A. Baxter Enq. Nature Human Soul (ed. 2) I. 164 We must say that the whole force exerted, is impressed by it immediately on the first moved part. 1990 R. Wardy Chain of Change 100 Therefore the first moved mover must be moved by an unmoved mover. first-named adj. ΚΠ 1581 T. Sampson Briefe Coll. Church 16 Often times these two last things do not so fully apeare..as they ought to doe; therefore we doe rest our selues vpon the two first named markes. 1838 C. Dickens Oliver Twist I. xviii. 296 The first-named young gentleman. 2002 Times 18 Jan. ii. 22/4 The first-named petitioners had instituted proceedings in England against, inter alia, the company, in which averments of negligence and breach of contract had been made. first-ripe adj. ΚΠ 1530 Bible (Tyndale) Lev. ii. f. iii^v Offer the meatofferynge of thy firstrype frutes. 1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. C2 In Latine Præcocia, or Præmatura. Id est. Soone ripe, or first ripe. 1611 Bible (King James) Num. xiii. 20 Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes. View more context for this quotation 1866 P. Fairbairn Imperial Bible-Dictionary I. 591/1 A feeling that the first-ripe portions were the best of the crop, and that these belonged to the gods. 1989 K. E. McVey tr. St. Ephraem Syrus Hymns 363 By desire she plucked the fruit that also was first-ripe. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2014; most recently modified version published online June 2022). firstv. Brit. /fəːst/, U.S. /fərst/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: first adj. Etymology: < first adj., in senses 1 and 2 after second v.¹In sense 1b translating ancient Greek πρωτεύειν to have first place. †1. a. transitive. To be the initiator of (a task). Cf. second v.¹ 1a. Obsolete.Apparently an isolated use. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > causation > initiating or causing to begin > initiate [verb (transitive)] beginc1175 baptizec1384 to set a (on) broachc1440 open1471 to set abroachc1475 entame1477 to set afloat1559 initiate1604 first1607 principiate1613 to set afoot or on foot1615 unclap1621 inchoatea1631 flush1633 to set on1638 principatec1650 rudiment1654 auspicate1660 embryonate1666 to strike up1711 start1723 institutea1797 float1833 spark1912 1607 B. Barnes Divils Charter i. iv. sig. C This taske vpon thy shoulders onely leanes; I rest vpon thee Caesar: were it not That thou must second it, or first it rather I durst not trust such things of consequence, To feeble spirits. b. intransitive. To have the first place, be pre-eminent. Obsolete.Apparently an isolated use. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [verb (intransitive)] > other to take the right-hand file1616 first1635 to speak in capitals?1694 to take the (or a) lead1761 to play first (or second) fiddle1778 to play first violin1780 to be no great (some great, considerable, etc.) shakes1819 to pitch it strong1823 to come out strong1825 violin1895 repeat1923 1635 A. Gil Sacred Philos. Holy Script. iv. xxviii. 49 That Hee may bee Εν πᾶσι πρωτεύων firsting, or having the first place or preheminence in all things. c. transitive. To advance (a person) to the first place. Obsolete.With play on second v.¹ 1a.Apparently an isolated use. ΚΠ 1656 S. Hunton Golden Law 11 These also will befool you..to gain you to second the King, that so ye may second, and so first them. 2. transitive. To propose (a resolution), to be the first spokesperson for. Cf. second v.¹ 3a. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > suggestion, proposal > suggest [verb (transitive)] > for consideration puta1350 purposea1382 propone1402 motion1505 exhibit1529 propound?1531 prefer1539 raise1566 to put forward1569 broach1579 start1579 offer1583 propose1614 first1628 to put it to a person1664 moot1685 suppose1771 pose1862 to put up1901 1628 H. Wotton Let. 13 Nov. in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ (1672) 559 The Personage that should first, or second, or tertiate your business with the King. 1656 T. Burton Diary (1828) I. 66 The question in the morning, which was firsted and seconded. 1659 T. Burton Diary (1828) III. 193 The question which is firsted and seconded. 1681 Deb. House of Commons assembled at Oxf. 25 Mar.1680/1 7 A Motion was firsted and seconded for a Committee of the whole House. 1763 Apol. for Monthly Rev. 47 Immediately I seconded, not to say firsted, the motion that damned Religion. 1838 Lit. Gaz. 7 Apr. 215/1 It is..anomalous for a creature in petticoats to be firsting and seconding political resolutions. 1957 Chron.-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) 14 Aug. 9/3 Mrs Fridenstine and Clair Van Ausdale took turns firsting and seconding motions until the arrival of Stan Zuris. 2006 Contra Costa (Calif.) Times (Nexis) 28 June F4 A move seconded (if not firsted) by athletic director Sandy Barbour. 3. transitive. To treat (articles for laundering) by a preliminary process involving soaking, rubbing to remove stains, and boiling; to pre-wash. Cf. earlier firsting n.² Now historical and rare.In quot. 1810 describing a process for preparing linen to be marked with permanent ink. ΚΠ 1810 St. James's Chron. 1 May 2/4 The cloth is to be firsted with the following liquid, viz. salt of tartar one ounce; water one ounce and a half. 1841 Planet 24 Oct. 7/2 Mrs. Humphries was always found elbow deep in suds, either firsting, seconding, or clean rincing her own affairs. 1876 M.E. Sandford Girls' Reading-bk. iii. 141 As early as possible the next morning, the clothes were ‘firsted’ and ‘seconded’—that is to say, rubbed well in warm lather..until all dirty marks had disappeared, and then put into the copper to boil. 2001 J. Flanders Circle of Sisters (2005) vi. 96 An average household wash took four days to do..: clothes and linen were ‘firsted’ or washed through once in boiling water. †4. transitive. English regional. To ‘set out’ with the hoe. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > break up land [verb (transitive)] > hoe billc1440 paddle1556 sarculate1623 hoe1712 hack1732 hand-hoe1733 hoe-plough1733 scuffle1766 small-hoe1786 shim1797 horse-hoe1830 nidget1843 first1860 prong-hoe1892 1860 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 21 ii. 386 The swedes..were not ‘firsted’ until August 6th. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹OEadj.adv.n.²eOEv.1607
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firstn.1

Compounds

firstadj.adv.n.2

Phrases

Compounds

firstv.

firstn.¹

firstadj.adv.n.²