• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the phrase “A number one” (A No. 1) originate and What does it mean?

Where does the phrase “A number one” (A No. 1) originate and What does it mean?

July 17, 2020 by Karen Hill

The phrase “A number one” means superior, first class, the best of its kind.

An American nautical classification of British ancestry, both of which referred originally to sailing vessels.

The British term, usually written “A 1,” was thus described in Lloyd’s Register: “The character A denotes new ships, or ships renewed or restored. The stores of vessels are designated by the figures 1 and 2; signifying that the vessel is well and sufficiently found.”

The American term had a slightly different sense, as described in Goodrich’s Fifth School Reader (1857): “Vessels are classified according to their age, strength, and other qualities. The best class is called A, and No. 1 implies that the Swiftsure stands at the head of the best class of vessels.”

Charles Dickens was the earliest writer to give the British phrase a non-nautical use. In Pickwick Papers (1837), the faithful valet, Sam Weller, wants to know what kind of “gen’l’men” already occupy the prison room in which Mr. Pickwick is to be confined.

The turnkey, Roker, describes one who “takes his twelve pints of ale a-day, and never leaves off smoking even at his meals.” “He must be a first-rater,” says Sam. “A-1,” Roker answered.

And Harriet Beecher Stowe, in Dred, A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp (1856), has the distinction of being the first to introduce the American phrase into literary use.

She has Father Bennie, the preacher who buys and sells slaves as a sideline, ask a dealer, “You got a good cook in your lot, hey?” “Got a prime one,” the dealer answered, “an A number one cook, and no mistake.”

Related Facts

  • Where did the Word Dialling Come From and Why do Local Telephone Numbers Never Start with the Number One?
  • Why Did Canada Plan To Invade the United States and When Did James Sutherland Brown Draft Defense Scheme Number One?
  • Where does the phrase "all wool and a yard wide" originate and What does it mean?
  • How Did the Phrase "I'll Be Hanged If I Do and Hanged If I Don't" Originate and What Does the Expression Mean?
  • How Did the Expression "Rise and Shine" Originate and What Does the Phrase "Shake a Leg" Mean?
  • What Does the Expression "Spick and Span" Mean and How Did the Phrase Originate?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the expression “to strike while the iron is hot” come from and What does it mean?
Next Post: Where does the expression “a bone to pick” come from and What does it mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy