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of the first water

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of the first water

Fig. of the finest quality. This is a very fine pearl—a pearl of the first water. Tom is of the first water—a true gentleman.

See also: first, of, water

of the first water

  (literary)

of the best or most extreme kind He is an artist of the first water Her husband is a bully of the first water.

See also: first, of, water

of the first water

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.

See also: first, of, water