on the first try
7
3.1
- idiom
:
a la primera
- Few women are lucky enough to give birth to boys on the first try.
- get it on the first try
- right on the first try
- pass on the first try
Axiom is don't try and cut through all the way on the first try when you're holding the blade.
- Axiom is don't try and cut through all the way on the first try when you're holding the blade.
- Wow did I like hit a home run on the first try.
Examples
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Let's hope they get it right on the first try and don't have to iterate.
Blog text (29) -
He passed the driving test on the first try, which surprised everyone.
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How do you do it on the first try?
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And, look, I got that on the first try.
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You got it on the first try.
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- I can fold a piece of paper in half perfectly on the first try.
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I usually find the vein on the first try, even on the most difficult patients.
Fiction book (1997) -
I have three IVF babies that all worked on the first try.
Blog text (25) -
She solved the puzzle quickly and completed it on the first try.
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Thankfully, the lock opened on the first try, allowing us to get inside.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
An occasion when someone does or experiences something they have not done before
23
1.9
A first try to do something new
Antonyms
How Many
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase’s meaning is directly derivable from its parts: 'on' marks the occasion/time, 'first' indicates the initial one, and 'try' means an attempt, so 'on the first try' naturally means at the first attempt. This compositional, literal pattern is common across languages and follows standard English temporal/prepositional phrasing, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would understand it.
Etymology
On the first try comes from the simple image of doing something once and succeeding, like hitting a target with your first try. That clear picture — success on the very first go — explains why it means 'at the first attempt' or 'succeeding without trying again'.