first and last

Idioms  

1. Under all circumstances, always, as in She was an artist first and last. (For a synonym, see above all.) This expression, first recorded in 1589, should not be confused with the similar-sounding from first to last, which means “from start to finish” or “throughout,” as in We cheered them on from first to last.

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Example Sentences

An AC/DC fan has run an ultramarathon dressed as the band's Angus Young, running between the first and last concerts on their Australian tour to raise money for charity.

From BBC

This year, they will simultaneously serve multiple dishes during the first and last course.

From The Wall Street Journal

He painted "California" in early 1961, shortly before he made his first and last trip to the United States for his debut exhibitions across the Atlantic, in New York and Los Angeles, it said.

From Barron's

And so it was on Wednesday and Saturday nights, the IPO’s first and last appearances at Carnegie this visit, with tempers between the often-masked protesters and the well-dressed concertgoers flaring occasionally.

From The Wall Street Journal

The name of the label is thought to be derived from the first and last letters of the Cameron name, with the initials of the couple's four children in between.

From BBC