ie first!      ! ITTffll at 'first

at or in the beginning &%]-,       I didn’t like the job

much at first.    0 At first

1                  thought he was shy, but then I discovered he was just

not interested in other people. 52 A A W A #. Ifi W , ft M t M M it M $J ASXSo o [saying) If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. 7A 7 A ft II # iit 0 a> note at firstly come 'first to be considered more important than anything else If % — \ ^ 9cW^)M if}: In any decision she makes, her family always comes first.    * .first and 'foremost

more than anything else H H (ft J§; W 9u: He does a little teaching, but first and foremost he’s a writer, ffeft

—                  .first and 'last in every

way that is important; completely jf # jj H # ; % ft itfe : She regarded herself, first and last, as a musician. MiA49M i   .first 'come,

.first 'served [saying) people will be dealt with, seen, etc. strictly in the order in which they arrive

©5te^ft©Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis.       H % 4?

iho .first of 'all 1 before doing anything else; at the beginning %—; ]f5fc: First of all, let me ask you some­thing. If 5fe,    2 as the most important

thing MMW; if ft: The content of any article needs, first of all, to be relevant to the reader. fsf ft M 64 W^liftilc-ftii^WXo o note at firstly .first 'off [informal, especially BrE) before anything else If ft : First off, let’s see how much it’ll cost. || jfe P|| tf ] # # fc .first ‘up [BrE, informal) to start with; before anything else  if ft .put sb/sth 'first to consider

sb/sth to be more important than anyone/anything else iA A/ '• • • Ml M ^; IE • ■ • M $ M — fi: She always puts her children first. & ft- IE f ft ft ft ?f$ ' © 0 —more at FOOT n., HEAD /?., SAFETY

mnoun 1 the first [C] [pi. the first) the first person or thing mentioned; the first person or thing to do a particular thing %—ft A (    ) : I was the first in

my family to go to college,  0

Sheila and Jim were the first to arrive.

(ft 0 o I’d be the first to admit (= I will most willingly admit) I might be wrong.  nJtE^iTo 0

The first I heard about the wedding (= the first time I became aware of it) was when I saw it in the local paper.

2                  [C, usually sing.] an achievement, event, etc., never

done or experienced before $hu ftSfc; fj )Jff A ^ ^

‘If: We went on a cruise, a first for both of us.

ft ft % — Ik ft $$ ±. M fflf o 3 (also .first ‘gear) fU] the lowest gear on a car, bicycle, etc. that you use when you are moving slowly ( ffft, I        ft

fU; jft He stuck the car in first and revved. (E ii ± 7 — ^, 4F zjfj 7 ft. ft 0 4 [C] ~ (in sth) the highest level of university degree at British universities ( ft 0 ftft ft ft ) ft      : She got a first in maths at

Exeter. &&&%&&*&**k, «ft-*M^ftfto

—                  compare second1, third IT5TO1 .first among equals

the person or thing with the highest status in a group %— }Eft;        from the (very) 'first from the

beginning : They were attracted to each other

from the first, ftfcffi -j4LM7\, from .first to 'last from beginning to end; during the whole time /AAftM; 0 hh M : It’s a fine performance that commands atten­tion from first to last. , S    IP7P

.first 'aid noun [U] simple medical treatment that is given to sb before a doctor comes or before the person can be taken to a hospital    to give first aid MfjM.

§L 0 a first-aid course

.first 'aider noun [BrE) a person who is trained to give first aid

the .First A'mendment noun [sing.] the statement in the US Constitution that protects freedom of speech and religion and the right to meet in peaceful groups

)

.first 'balcony noun [NAmE) = dress circle

.first 'base noun (in baseball # Ejjt) the first of the bases that players must touch rr&i He didn’t make it

past first base.  - iTSTOl not get to first

'base (with sth/sb) [informal, especially NAmE) to fail to make a successful start in a project, relationship, etc.; to fail to get through the first stage ( If!,        ) ft

mmm®,

first-born /'f3:stbo:n; NAmE 'f3:rstbo:rn/ noun [old- fashioned) a person’s first child jf |p ;  7 ; fc

► firstborn adj. [only before noun]: their firstborn son ftk

.first 'class noun, adv.

m noun [U] 1 the best and most expensive seats or accom­modation on a train, plane or ship    .

Hfe ) : There is more room in first class. IcfiMMo 2 (in Britain) the class of mail that is delivered most quickly %    ) : First

Class costs more.      3 (in the US) the

class of mail that is used for letters ^        ( Te MS

m 7 S ii in ft- m m in it ) 4 the highest standard of degree given by a British university      ^

)

a adv. 1 using the best and most expensive seats or accommodation in a train, plane or ship ( Ifr ) : to travel first class        2 (in

Britain) by the quickest form of mail ( ^0 ) ©ft‘IAS jiifiMA: I sent the package first class on Monday. # 7 3 (in the US) by the class of mail that is used for letters ( H S ) © % —* |l|

WE

.first- class adj. 1 [usually before noun] in the best group; of the highest standard %—^W; ft ifctf} EEC] excellent: a first-class novel ft#/friA O-a first-class writer — ^ M 0 The car was in first-class condition. ^N‘;^7^h7ft/f#)IA^o 0 / know a place where the food is first-class.     EH#

Wi&Afo 2 [only before noun] connected with the best and most expensive way of travelling on a train, plane or ship ( HE®,        first-class rail

travel M ik ^ M M fa 0 a first-class cabin/seat/ ticket fk # Ifr / JUfe/ M 3 [only before noun] (in Britain) connected with letters, packages, etc. that are delivered most quickly, or that cost more to send

©ilftfA ) : first-class mail/post/postage/ stamps %—/ AP0 4 [only before noun] used to describe a university degree of the highest class from a British university —She was awarded a first-class degree in English. &tk ^ I# —15

'first cost noun [C, u] [economics %E) = prime cost .first 'cousin noun = cousin(I)

.first-day 'cover noun a specially printed envelope with a stamp that has a postmark with the date that stamps of that design were first sold # 0 Ifh fff itAP®

'first degree noun [especially BrE) an academic qualifica­tion given by a university or college, for example a BA or BSc, that is given to sb who does not already have a degree in that subject (

What was your first degree in? # (Hi  f4?

3                  to study geography at first-degree level J&i

‘

.first-de'gree adj. [only before noun] 1 [especially NAmE) ~ murder, assault, robbery, etc. murder, etc. of the most serious kind %-%’Ek (

^ ) 2 ~ burns bums of the least serious of three kinds, affecting only the surface of the skin —      ( $£ ifj )

— compare second-degree, third-degree

.first 'down noun (in American football H Aft it)

4                  the first of a series of four downs (= chances to

move the ball forward ten yards) ( )

% iAittTfC- i © 2 the chance to start a new series of four downs because your team has succeeded in going forward ten yards (      ) if—$£0$:

-mmm

.first e'dition noun one of the copies of a book that was produced the first time the book was printed ( 45

) JB-JK, m