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Glite Dictionary
of the first water

of the first water

1 9.9
Of very high quality, like the best examples
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : de primera calidad
  • "If they believe that, they're dunces of the first water."

Examples

  • A philosophical genius of the first water.

    My Fair Lady (1964)

  • She is a pianist of the first water, captivating audiences with her extraordinary technique and emotion.

  • "Colonel Fontclair is an officer of the first water, a hero of the Peninsular War."

    Fiction book (1993)

  • She wasn't a bad egg, but a gossip of the first water.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • This guy was a woo mark of the first water, all kinds of crap about how rapeseed oil causes Creutzfeldt-Jakob, stuff like that.

    Blog text (18)

  • He was a bibliophile of the first water, and no man ever took more delight in finding an extraordinarily beautiful book for fifty cents.

    Academic text (2005)

  • A true rat of the first water; not to mention screwing up a whole generation of people absolutely depending on the government to feed them, think for them, and change their diapers.

    Blog text (31)

  • Her pearls and diamonds were of the first water, and her gown was magnificent, a shining column of gold brocaded silk trimmed with gold lace and a gold brocaded train that was a full four feet long.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • "How can you have a mother as smashing as Meg—a beauty of the first water, a prima assoluta—only a few such ballerinas in the world one can say that of—and not mind?

    Fiction book (1992)

  • It is folly of the first water, and does little other than to invite furious retribution from the overruled, make you look like the asshole, and encourage politicians to slide smoothly into the position of 'managing' this power structure to their own great benefit and everybody else's detriment.

    Blog text (18)

Synonyms

first-class
vsof the first water
49 3.4

Of the highest quality and very good

is a more figurative expression that highlights supreme excellence
top-quality
vsof the first water
9 3.8

Very high quality and lasts a long time

is a fixed expression that names the highest possible excellence
select
vsof the first water
  • Formal
8 3.7

Very good quality and better than most others

focuses on inherent top excellence rather than selection by choice
first water
vsof the first water
  • Archaic
8.6

The highest quality, like a perfect diamond

is the same idea expressed as a traditional rarity metaphor

Antonyms

inferior
63 3.7

Not as good in quality as something else

low quality
13 2.8

Something that is not good or well made

How Good

of the first water
  • Archaic
1 9.9
exceptional
129 4.1
excellent
∞ 1.0
good
∞ 1.0
ordinary
683 1.0

Surface Forms

of the first water positive

Morphology

of + the + first + water

The meaning 'of the highest quality' is idiomatic and historically based (e.g. old usage referring to gem quality), so a learner who knows 'first' and 'water' would not reliably derive this sense — 'water' does not transparently signal quality. This phrase is relatively archaic and language-specific, making its meaning unpredictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Of the first water may come from how people judged pearls and gems long ago: they called the very best bright, clear pearls 'first water'. So, saying something is of the first water means it is 'of the highest quality'.