Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. oneself, one’s own interests.

1704–5		T. Pitt in Hedges Diary 23 Feb. (1887) III 99: The Knight I doubt not, but ’tis very careful of number one, and looks no further .
1795		Sporting Mag. Jan. V 221/1: But don’t go for to think I neglects number one.
1836–7		Dickens Pickwick Papers (1999) 701: No man should have more than two attachments — the first, to number one, and the second to the ladies.
1848		J.R. Lowell Biglow Papers (1880) 108: Though, fur ez number one’s consarned, I don’t make no objection.
1853		Dickens Bleak House (1991) 775: Whenever a person proclaims to you ‘In worldly matters I’m a child’ you consider that that person is only a-crying off from being held accountable, and that you have got that person’s number, and it’s Number One.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 114/2: Round went the ‘lush,’ Bob still looking out for No. 1, and never letting a glass go by him.
1869		Gympie Times (Qld) 7 July 3/1: The others are mere inanities, possessing a keen interest in ‘number one’.
1873		Spectator 22 Mar. 379/1: It is in the early chapters, too, that the author speaks of himself, seldom referring to number one afterwards – for a less egotistical book we have seldom seen [F&H].
1880		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 9 Oct. 12: [pic. caption] Two Cyprians, with an Eye to the Interests of No. 1 Take Advantage of a Political Procession to Advertise Their Preferences and Charms.
1881		Newcastle Courant 25 Nov. 6/5: In his journey through life [he] had kept a close eye upon the interests of No. 1.
1887		‘’Arry on His Critics’ in Punch 17 Dec. 280/2: I mean to [...] keep my heye on one mark — Number One!
1894		Truth (Sydney) 15 Apr. 4/8: Of course we couldn’t blame him for attending to Number One — every parson christens his own child first.
1895		W. Pett Ridge Minor Dialogues 159: Ah! you’re all self, James [...] Don’t ’arp too much on number one.
1902		‘Dads Wayback’ in Sun. Times (Sydney) 1 June 5/5: Yous wants ter see how they works out fer Number One, as is allus ther cove as wants most looking arter.
1912		A. Berkman Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist (1926) 191: A fellow’s a fool not t’ look out for number one.
1920		‘Sapper’ Bulldog Drummond 245: Not one in a hundred [...] of the so-called revolutionary leaders in this country are disinterested. They’re out for Number One.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 145: Does himself well. No guests. All for number one.
1935		Z.N. Hurston Mules and Men (1995) 66: Ah ain’t puttin’ out not to no ole hard head [...] Ah talks for Number One.
1942		see look after number one
1951		(con. 1941) E. Lambert Twenty Thousand Thieves 180: Olley tapped his chest and smiled knowingly. ‘The old Number One! I get on with the men but it’s always old Ted, number one!’.
1961		H. Ellison Rockabilly (1963) 153: Who, after all, was looking out for Number One?
1974		‘P.B. Yuill’ Hazell Plays Solomon (1976) 128: It’s a hard world and your only duty is to number one.
1982		J. Sullivan ‘Diamonds are for Heather’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] Like hell he did! Vic looked after number one!
1984		B. Ellem Doing Time 93: To survive in here, you’ve got to be hard, you’ve got to be ruthless, you’ve got to look after number one.
1996		P. Howard The Joy (2015) [ebook] The time took after number one had arrived — Run, run, ye fucking coward, ye!
2000		Indep. on Sun. 28 May 21: Gunman who looks after number one.

2. the best, the finest quality.

1846		Swell’s Night Guide 40: This sanctum-sanctorum is ... the number one of cribberies.
1908		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘A Clue’ Sporting Times 19 Sept. 1/3: He had nothing but derision for the Scotland Yard division, / They were nowhere, whereas he was number one.
1910		Wash. Post 3 July 3/1: This Victoria hop’s been dribblin’ inter New York [...] at the rate of 50 tins a week. It ain’t quite as good as No. 1 [...] That’s the best in the world.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 403: Yours? Mead of our fathers for the Uebermensch. Dittoh. Five number ones.
1955		B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 144: Johnny was Number One in their book.
1955		letter in Mad mag. Jan. 10: As we say in Korea, it is number one (the best).
1970		A. Sillitoe Start in Life (1979) 80: You’re number one [...] You might not know it, but you saved my life.
1978		(con. 1940s) J.G. Farrell Singapore Grip 168: ‘Big ah blests number one!’ remarked a smartly dressed young Chinese.
1989		(con. 1950s–60s) in G. Tremlett Little Legs 3: My Dad was number one around here.
1999		‘Master Pimp’ Pimp’s Rap 161: I am number one. I’m Bobby Jones.
2001		N. Barlay Hooky Gear 53: Well fuckin hell. Number fuckin 1.

3. (orig. US) one’s best friend or lover.

1902		Ade Girl Proposition 69: He was the kind that would take a Friend with him when he went calling on No. 1. He wanted the Friend to see for himself that the Girl thought the World of Papa.
1905		Sporting Times 1 Apr. 11/2: Each was No. 1 when the other fellow wasn’t there.
1964		E. Shrake But Not For Love 43: [L]ater [i.e. after sex] he said, ‘Janey, you’ve always been the number one’.
1999		Guardian Guide 10–16 July 93: He’s still number one in Rachel’s affections.
2000		N. Barlay Crumple Zone 71: I get back from Sabine’s [...] pretty cabbaged, drunk enough for Alv to drive me back the ten-minute walk with his number one, the super-silent Ray, in tow.

4. as juv. euph.

5. an extremely short ‘skinhead’ hair-style [from the setting of the hair-clippers at ‘1’].

1987		(con. c.1967) J. Ferrandino Firefight 30: ‘You want number-one hakkut, Joe?’ the barber asked.
1993		T. Jones Pugilist at Rest 83: He told me I could not leave the base until I got a No. 1 haircut.
1999		Indep. on Sun. Culture 11 July 2: You’ll see a chunky bloke with a No 1 crop.
2000		Guardian Space 13 Apr. 18: Then another of those blokes appeared – No 1 crop, Crombie, pit bull on a string.
2013		T. Black Ringer [ebook] n.p.: Dungarees is the slippery slope. Next is the Doc Martens and the Number 1 to the napper.

6. (UK prison, the punishment diet of bread and water; N.Z. prison) a severely limited diet.

1936		J. Curtis Gilt Kid 65: Serve him right if he had to go without any grub for a few days same as a bloke might get three days’ No. 1 back in stir.
1942		B. Behan ‘I Became a Borstal Boy’ in After the Wake (1981) 26: I would have been reported to the Governor [...] and have got No. 1 (bread and water) ‘to cool me off’.
1953		I. Hamilton Till Human Voices Wake Us 106: They’d feed him No. 1 ration for a while.
1954		J. Phelan Tramp at Anchor 180: Uh-huh — three number one.
1956		‘Charles Raven’ Und. Nights 141: He was given three days’ No. 1 diet and fourteen days’ No. 2.
1971		T.R. Shadbolt Bullshit and Jelly Beans 11: Once some guys tried to organise a petition about the food - they were put into "the digger" on Diet Number One: 80z. potato, 40z. fat, five slices bread, Y2 pint milk.
1989		G. Newbold Punishment and Politics 126: 1961 saw the abolition of bread and water punishment and its replacement with two grades of restricted diet ... the more extreme of these, no. 1 diet, provided for a daily regimen of bread, potatoes, milk and dripping.
1992		A. Duff One Night Out Stealing 43: Number one was cold potatoes, glass of milk, piece of bread for three meals a day three days on end.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 126/1: number one n. 1(also number one dietor number one ration) Restricted Diet Number One (abolished by the Bill of Rights on 1 April 1981).

7. (US Und.) first degree (i.e. pre-meditated) murder.

1980

E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 24: I’m on parole for number one.