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Anyone wishing to purchase tickets should apply in the first
instance to the secretary. 13 not the first infml not the slight-
est; no: *I haven't got the first idea how to do it.* 14 **of the first
water** *old-fash* or *pomp* of the highest quality: *a scientist of the
first water* → see also **FIRSTLY** 15 **on the first day of
Christmas** the first line of a popular Christmas song:
*On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me*
*A partridge in a pear tree*
**first²** *n, pron* 1 [(the) S] the person, thing, or group before all
others: *'Are we the first?' he asked, as their host opened the
door.* | *The minister's television appearance — his first since
taking office — was a great success.* | [+to-v] *He was the
first/one of the first to collect Picasso's paintings.* | *Whoever is
(the) first to finish will get a prize.* | *the first of a series of
programmes on life in Russia* → compare **LAST²** 2 [C(in)] the
highest class of British university degree: *He got a first in
history.* → see also **DEGREE (CULTURAL NOTE)** 3 [C] *infml*
something never done before: *Roger Bannister scored a
notable first when he ran the mile in under four min-*
*utes.* 4 [U] **FIRST GEAR** 5 **at first** at the beginning: ***At first I
didn't like him but now I do.*** → compare **at last (LAST²)**; see
**FIRSTLY (USAGE)** 6 **first come, first served** the person who
arrives first will be served first: *The number of tickets is
limited, so it's a case of first come, first served.* (=people who
come late may not get tickets) 7 **from the (very) first** from
the beginning: *I knew from the first it would never suc-*
*ceed.* 8 **the first shall be last, and the last shall be first**
*phrase from the Bible* the people who have power now will one
day have no power, and the people with no power now will
one day have power
**first 'aid** *n [U]* treatment to be given by an ordinary person
(as opposed to a doctor, nurse etc) to a person who has been
hurt in an accident or suddenly taken ill: *Do you know
anything about first aid?* | *I'm going to do a first-aid course.*
**first 'aid ,kit** also **first 'aid ,box** *n* a collection of
equipment such as **BANDAGES**, **PLASTERS** etc, which can be
used to treat people who have been hurt in an accident or
suddenly taken ill
**First A'mendment, the** a part of the **CONSTITUTION OF THE
UNITED STATES** which gives US citizens the right of freedom
of speech, freedom of the **PRESS** (=newspapers, radio, and
television), freedom of religion, and freedom of **ASSEMBLY**
(=the right of any group to meet together). Many cases
concerning these rights have been taken to the **SUPREME
COURT**, and people in the US usually have strong opinions
about the questions involved in these cases.
**first 'base** also **first AmE** — *n* 1 (in **BASEBALL**) the first of the
four places which a player must touch before gaining a point
(**RUN**): *He plays first base for the Red Sox.* 2 the first stage of
success in an attempt to achieve something: *You've gotten to
first base if you've landed an interview.*
**first-born** /'fɜːstbɔːn||'fɜːrstbɔːrn/ *adj, n pl. **firstborn** [A;C] lit
or bibl* (the) eldest among the children in a family: *the
firstborn child*
**first 'class** *n* 1 [U] **a)** (in Britain) a class of mail in which
letters and parcels are delivered as quickly as possible, and
which is more expensive than second class mail **b)** (in the
US) the class of mail used for ordinary business and personal
letters 2 [U] (on a train, ship, or aircraft) the best and most
expensive travelling conditions: *There's a lot more space in
first class.* | *a first-class ticket* → compare **BUSINESS CLASS**,
**CLUB CLASS**, **ECONOMY CLASS**, **SECOND CLASS** 3 [C] *fml* for
**FIRST** —**first class adv**: *You'd better send it first class.* | *I
always travel first class.*
**first-class** *adj* of the highest or best quality: *Your work is
first class.*
**First Com'munion** *n* (the act of) receiving Holy Commun-
ion for the first time: *Rachel's making her First Communion
on Saturday.*
**first 'cousin** *n* a **COUSIN**
**first day 'cover** *n* (in Britain) a special envelope on which
newly produced stamps are stuck and marked with a **POST-
MARK** on their first day of use. Some people in Britain like to
collect first day covers which sometimes later become very
valuable.
**first-de'gree** *adj [A]* 1 (of a burn) of the lowest level of
seriousness 2 *AmE* (of a crime) of the highest level of
seriousness: ***first-degree murder***
**first e'dition** *n* one of the copies of a book that was
produced the first time that book was printed. *Some first
editions of old books are now very valuable.*
**first-'ever** *adj* happening for the first time ever; that has
never happened before: *The town had its first-ever snowfall
last year.* | *my first-ever trip to New York*
**first 'family** *n* the family of the president of the US
**first 'floor, the** *n* 1 *BrE* the first floor of a building above
ground level 2 *AmE* the floor of a building at ground level →
compare **GROUND FLOOR**; see **FLOOR (USAGE)**
**first-'footing** *n [U] ScotE* the custom in Scotland of visiting
people soon after the New Year has begun, at 12 o'clock at
night on December 31st —**first-footer** *n* → see **Cultural
Note at NEW YEAR**
**first 'gear** *n* the lowest **GEAR** in a car or other motor vehicle,
used when the vehicle is started or when going up a very
steep hill
**first gene'ration** *n [the]* the children of parents who have
moved to live in a new country, especially the US. These
children grow up speaking the language of their new coun-
try at school and the language of their parents at home.
—**first-generation** *adj*: ***first-generation children***
**first 'half** *n* the first of two equal periods into which a sports
match is divided: *That was a tough first half for Wales.*
**first-hand** /ˌfɜːstˈhænd/ || -ɜːr-/ *adj, adv* (learnt) directly from
the point of origin: *I heard her news firsthand.* (=from her) |
*It's not firsthand information, so I don't know if you can
completely believe it.* → compare **SECOND-HAND¹**; see also at
**first hand (FIRST¹)**
**first 'lady** *n* (sometimes *cap.*) (in the US) the wife of the
President, or of the GOVERNOR of a state
**first 'language** *n* the language that one knows best and
speaks most naturally, usually the language first learnt as a
child: *My first language is Spanish, but I also speak French
and Italian.*
**first lieu'tenant** *n* an officer in the US army, airforce, or
**MARINES** → see **TABLE 3**
**first 'light** *n [U]* the time at the beginning of day when light
first appears; **DAWN**, **DAYBREAK**: *We left at first light.*
**first-ly** /'fɜːstli||-ɜːr-/ *adv* as the first of a set of things; **FIRST**:
*Firstly, let me deal with the most urgent problem.*
**USAGE** Compare **first(ly)** and **at first**. **Firstly** (and **first**) are
often used when separating the points you want to make
and putting them in order: **Firstly** I'll mention the
advantages, then I'll mention the disadvantages. | *There
are three reasons why I hate him: firstly he's a cheat,
second(ly) he's a liar, and third(ly)/finally he owes me
money.* **At first** cannot be used in this way. **At first** refers
to a point of time and often marks a contrast with a later
time: *At first I didn't understand, but afterwards it
became very clear.* | *You'll find it difficult at first but it'll
soon get easier.*
**'first name** also **forename** *fml* || **given name** *AmE* — *n the*
name or names that stand before one's **SURNAME** (=family
name); one's personal name(s): *Mr Smith's first name is
Peter.* | *His first names are Peter Alexander.* | *She's on first-
name terms with her teachers.* (=knows them well enough to
call them by their first names) | *He's on a first name basis
(AmE) with his boss.*
**Note** In English-speaking countries, your **first name**
usually means the first of the names given to you by your
parents at birth, but it may also include *all* the names
given to you by your parents. In Christian countries
**Christian name** is sometimes used in the same way.
**Given name(s)** and (less commonly) **forename(s)** are
also used in this way, especially on official forms. **Given
name** or **given names** is the most suitable expression for
people, such as Chinese, who usually say their **SURNAMES**
first.