Idiom medium 15 / 51

“first come, first served”

i · The common misuse One wrong form

~~first come first serve~~ first come, first served See the fix →

ii · What it meansTwo lines, no filler

The phrase is a passive construction: those who come first are served first. Dropping the 'd' makes it sound like the early arrivals do the serving, which reverses the meaning.

iii · Memory hookKeep this one

Served, not serve. First in the door gets SERVED first — they're not the waiter.

iv · Read deeperFull entry available

60-second read

First come, first serve vs. First come, first served

Past participle.

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