prime, adj. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

prime adj.

1. excellent, first-rate.

1626		Jonson Staple of News I ii: rob: Had you good sport in your chase to-day? john: O prime!
1811		Lex. Balatronicum n.p.: Prime. Bang up. Quite the thing. Excellent. Well done. She’s a prime piece; she is very skilful in the venereal act. Prime post. She’s a prime article.
1817		W. Scott Rob Roy (1883) 82: Here a comes – as prime a buttock of beef as e’er hungry mon stuck fork in.
1819		‘One of the Fancy’ Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 26: Now, what say your Majesties? – isn’t this prime?
1821		J. Burrowes Life in St George’s Fields 18: Dick introduced his Pal to the prime bloods and swell mots.
1833		‘A Chaunt by Slapped-up Kate and Dubber Daff’ in Swell!!! or, Slap-Up Chaunter 47: [He] looks the Corinthian — swellish and prime.
1836		T. Haliburton Clockmaker I 34: A pretty prime, superfine scoundrel.
1854		‘Cuthbert Bede’ Adventures of Mr Verdant Green (1982) II 152: Oh! how prime it will be [...] to see the Pet pitching into the cads.
1856		Melbourne Punch 20 Nov. 3/3: ‘Proposals for a New Slang Dictionary’ [...] O.K. —Adj. To rights, proper, stunning, of the right sort, prime, all serene, crummy, some, out-an-out, scrumtious, &c, of the initials of the old English words, Orle Korrect.
1860		R. Nicholson Rogue’s Progress (1966) 37: Can we ever forget the prime team he tooled from London to Brighton.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 25/1: I heard one man say it was very prime.
1873		W.H. Thomes Slaver’s Adventures 390: Take a drink of this brandy, it’s prime.
1877		Chicago Trib. 7 Apr. 3/1: Our language is ‘prime’ and it’s just ’all OK’.
1884		‘’Arry at a Political Pic-Nic’ in Punch 11 Oct. 180/1: The band an the ’opping wos prime though.
1892		‘F. Anstey’ Voces Populi 244: Ow, Pa, all the bloomin’ crowd kep’ on a lookin’ at us through the winder – it was proime!
1900		Boy’s Own Paper 22 Dec. 182: ‘Prime!’ he said.
1912		E. Pugh City Of The World 274: I tell you a split don’t need such optics as what a prime top-sawyer does.
1916		C.J. Dennis ‘The Push’ in Moods of Ginger Mick 42: An’ I’m umpty round the chest an’ feelin’ prime.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 404: Fine! Got a prime pair of mincepies, no kid.
1940		M. Marples Public School Slang 5: Words expressing general approval [...] prime.
1970		‘Red’ Rudensky Gonif 100: We wanted nothing but prime hooch.
1977		L. Heinemann Close Quarters (1987) 134: ‘Well, Haney, how ya like it?’ [...] ‘Prime, cuz, downright prime.’.
1988		Eble Campus Sl. Mar.
1996		(con. 1946) G. Pelecanos Big Blowdown (1999) 68: Recevo’s tickets were close to prime, eighteen rows up from the ring.
2000		G.V. Higgins At End of Day (2001) 82: All of them liked what you had as much as you did — as you knew they would, ’cause it was prime.