Of the finest quality, as in That was a play of the first water. This idiom refers to a grading system for diamonds for their color or luster (compared to the shininess of water). The system is no longer used but the term, used figuratively since the early 1800s, has survived it.
First water - Of the
| Idioms: of the first water |
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Some good "First water - Of the" pages on the web:
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 | first water |
| second water (lapidary) |
| Fahrenheit's hydrometer (engineering) |
 | When was it first discovered that there is water on the moon? Read answer... |
| Who invented the first water pump? Read answer... |
| Hot water pipe or cold water pipe which will rust first? Read answer... |
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 | What was water at first? |
| Which freezes first milk or water? |
| What came first ice or water? |
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 | Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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Mentioned in
- first water
- second water (lapidary)
- Fahrenheit's hydrometer (engineering)
- water table (Science)
- building main
- instant milk
- first (Idiom)
- hydrostatic balance (mechanics)
- Slater, Samuel (British-born textile pioneer in America)
- Pawtucket (city of northeast Rhode Island)
- net head (fluid mechanics)
- Cana (ancient city, Israel – in the Bible)
- pothole
- baths
