First come, first serve(d)

Posted by Paul G on July 18, 2001

In Reply to: First come, first serve(d) posted by R. Berg on July 17, 2001

: : Although in the dictionary I found the phrase "first come, first served" I have often heard it pronounced
: : without the "d" at the end. Does anybody know whether this is only a wrong usage or where "first come, first serve" derives from (old english?).
: : thanks, flavia

: The dictionary is correct: the "d" belongs in the phrase. Those who come first are the first to be served.

Still the version without the 'd' appears to be in common usage. A search on Altavista for the exact phrase yielded counts of

"first come first serve" 80263
"first come first served" 121214

Perhaps "first come first serve" could validly derive from something like "Those who arrive first, we serve first."(?)

• First come, first serve(d) R. Berg 07/18/01