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

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first and last

Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers has been doubly honoured by West Midlands Police, with his first and last name being used for the remaining two puppies.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

It was the first and last time Copi ever spoke to Davis, but he would go on to photograph him eight times in total.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Historic freezes in 1894 and 1895 nearly eradicated the industry, its first and last real brush with old-world calamity.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026

An example of Jeff Koons’s fluorescent-lighted vacuum cleaners from his “The New” series—the first and last interesting work he made—seems almost down-to-earth next to his other glittering, stainless-steel baubles here.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Aureliano continued getting together in the afternoon with the four arguers, whose names were Alvaro, German, Alfonso, and Gabriel, the first and last friends that he ever had in his life.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez