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first water

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noun
(formerly) the highest degree of fineness in a diamond or other precious stone.Compare water (def. 13).
the finest quality; highest rank.
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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
candystring
candyfloss
candypuff
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Origin of first water

First recorded in 1745–55

Words nearby first water

first-termer, first thing, first things first, first-time, first-timer, first water, First World, first world problem, First World War, firth, fisc
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use first water in a sentence

  • She was got up expensive, all real lace and first-water sparks, and just as handsome as a towel rack.

    Shorty McCabe|Sewell Ford

  • Yet they were constantly after him, for they knew they were likely to get a first-water gem.

    Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete|Albert Bigelow Paine

  • An expert would have known immediately that it was a first-water product of an expert gunsmith.

    The Black Wolf Pack|Dan Beard

British Dictionary definitions for first water

first water
noun
the finest quality of diamond or other precious stone
the highest grade or best quality
the most extreme kinda fool of the first water
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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