first lady, the—
1. the wife of a president:
- The first lady carries no official duties…. Nonetheless, she attends many official ceremonies.
2. a woman who is most important or better than any other at smth.:
- Dubbed the “First Lady of Song,” Fitzgerald has clearly earned her title.
3. (U.S. diners) spare ribs:
- The phrase “first lady” meaning “spare ribs” was a pun referring to Eve. The Bible describes her as being made of one of Adam’s ribs.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase leading lady, the—the chief actress in a theatrical company or a film:
- Mme du Chatelet always took the part of the leading lady, dressed up to kill and covered with diamonds.
first woman, the—
1. (also: prima donna) the principal female singer in an opera:
- The part of the first woman in an intermezzo was filled by a very promising singer.
2. = first lady, the 1:
- Considering Hillary Clinton’s ambitious agenda, they found themselves reluctant to criticize the First Woman’s conventional version of feminism.
3. is used with reference to Biblical Eve:
- However, disagreement starts soon after the creation of the first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve.