first water

SEE SYNONYMS FOR first water ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

(formerly) the highest degree of fineness in a diamond or other precious stone. Compare water(def 13).
the finest quality; highest rank.

Origin of first water

First recorded in 1745–55

Words nearby first water

first state, first strike, first string, first thing, first things first, first water, first world, first world problem, first world war, first-born, first-cause argument

Example sentences from the Web for first water

  • 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

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

    Shorty McCabe |Sewell Ford

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 kind a fool of the first water