the first string

the first string

1. The members of sports team who start the game, as opposed to the substitutes; the starters. I made the first string on the football team as a freshman! No one's ever done that before! Keep practicing, and you'll move up to first string pretty soon.

2. By extension, the members of some group who are trusted with the leading roles in something. The boss has the first string working on this, so it must be important.

See also: first, string

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.