Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US) nothing, not a single one, usu. in negative.

1944		C. Himes ‘Let Me at the Enemy—An’ George Brown’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 37: That’s my queen talkin’. She’s a strictly fine queen, fine as wine. [...] But she ain’t got brain the first [Ibid.] 46: ‘Dear Sugar pie: You doesn [sic] understand. I aint [sic] made dollar the first’.
c.1951		N. Algren ‘Watch Out for Daddy’ in Entrapment (2009) 117: My arm jerked of itself and jerked the whole outfit clean out of his hand [...] I hadn’t got Drop the First.
c.1951		N. Algren ‘Watch Out for Daddy’ in Entrapment (2009) 119: Little Daddy wants someone to give him credit for something so bad, but I don’t give him Credit the First.
1967		A. Baraka Tales (1969) 24: I don’t have penny the first!