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first things first

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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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.