first things first

Idioms  

1. The most important task gets priority, as in I very much wanted to see that movie, but first things first—the paper's due tomorrow. This adage was first recorded in 1545.

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Example Sentences

“Simon, I am overjoyed to see you, and eager to know how you are. I am also curious about that costume you have on! But first things first: Have you located Madame Ionesco? Is she nearby? Does she know how to undo the curse?”

From Literature

However, as both Agatha Swanburne and her great-granddaughter were fond of saying, “First things first.”

From Literature

The task of removing the family curse remained in the spooky hands of Madame Ionesco, but first things first.

From Literature

“But first things first—back to the letter,” she thought, for at the moment she was trying to solve an altogether different mystery: Had Miss Mortimer forgotten her birthday, or not?

From Literature

But first things first: What the heck is a three-part Berlusconi biography doing on ESPN?

From The Wall Street Journal