First Come, First Served

First Come, First Served First Come, First Served First Come, First Served By Maeve Maddox The expression first come, first served began life as a proverb having the same sense as the early bird catches the worm. Both proverbs are admonitions against dawdling.†¨ The proverb was adopted by shopkeepers to convey the idea that customers would be served in the order of their arrival. In case of limited quantities, latecomers would be out of luck. And if the local squire got there after the char lady, hed have to wait his turn. The expression has become so common in modern times that the abbreviation FCFS and even Fcfs is seen in advertising and on ticket-selling sites. Because the expression originated before the 1900s when the idiom changed, modern speakers and writers have trouble with the usage. A common error is to write the phrase as first come, first serve. The confusion arises from thinking that come is the same kind of verb form as serve and that theyre supposed to match. One way to look at it is to think of first come, first served as an elliptical form of the first to come will be the first to be served. Another is to recognize come as a past participle or adjectival verb form. Consider: First seen, first treated. First gone, first missed. In first come, first served, come functions as an adjective. Its not a common usage these days, but I actually found a contemporary example in a song written by Steeleye Span, a British electric folk band. Its from their 2004 album They Called Her Babylon: some said, â€Å"give him the beef, the beef,† some said, â€Å"give him the bone.† and some said, â€Å"give him nothing at all but let the beggar roam.† then up and spake the new-come lord, a saucy word spoke he, â€Å"pass round the cup, let my rival sup, then send him on his way.† Confusion about the expression involves punctuation as well as spelling. No comma Bookings must be made by midnight 22nd June, so hurry, spaces are limited and available on a first come first served basis. Comma Free flights from British Airways for small businesses looking to export. There are 4,000 up for grabs on a first come, first served basis. Hyphens Delta Airlines accepts pets on a first-come, first-serve basis. Quotation marks NEWCASTLE United  is set to be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. I vote for the unhyphenated, unquoted comma version: The new phones will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Of course the problems of verb form and punctuation can be avoided entirely by going with FCFS. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†For Sale vs. On SalePractice or Practise?

Canadian Old Age Security (OAS) Pension Changes

Canadian Old Age Security (OAS) Pension Changes In Budget 2012, the Canadian federal government formally announced the changes it planned for the Old Age Security (OAS) pension. The major change will be raising the eligibility age for the OAS and related Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) from 65 to 67, beginning April 1, 2023. The change in the age of eligibility will be phased in gradually from 2023 to 2029. The changes will not affect you if you are currently receiving OAS benefits. The change in eligibility for OAS and GIS benefits will also not affect anyone born on April 1, 1958. The government will also be introducing the option for individuals to defer taking up their OAS pension for up to five years. By deferring his/her OAS pension, an individual would receive a higher annual pension starting in a later year. In an effort to improve services, the government will be starting proactive enrolment for the OAS and GIS for eligible seniors. This will be phased in from 2013 to 2016 and should mean that eligible seniors will not need to apply for the OAS and GIS as they do now. What is the OAS? Canadian Old Age Security (OAS) is the single largest program of the Canadian federal government. According to Budget 2012, the OAS program provides approximately $38 billion per year in benefits to 4.9 million individuals. It is now funded from general revenue, although for many years there was such as thing as an OAS Tax. The Canadian Old Age Security (OAS) program is a basic safety net for seniors. It provides a modest monthly payment to seniors 65 years of age and older who meet the Canadian residency requirements. Employment history and retirement status are not factors in the eligibility requirements. Low-income seniors may also qualify for supplemental OAS benefits including the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), the Allowance  and Allowance for the Survivor. The maximum annual basic OAS pension is currently $6,481. Benefits are indexed to the cost of living measured by the Consumer Price Index. OAS benefits are taxable by both federal and provincial governments. The maximum annual GIS benefit is currently $8,788 for single seniors and $11,654 for couples. The GIS is not taxable, although you must report it when you file your Canadian income taxes. The OAS is not automatic. You must apply for the OAS, as well as for the supplemental benefits. Why is the OAS Changing? There are several critical reasons for changes being made to the OAS program. Canadas Aging Population: Demographics are changing. Life expectancy is increasing, and the age group of baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) is huge. The government predicts the number of Canadian seniors will nearly double from 2011 to 2030, from 5 million to 9.4 million. That puts a huge pressure on funding the OAS program, especially when the number of working-age Canadians (who will be paying taxes) per senior is expected to drop from four to two over a similar time frame.Cost: Budget 2012 estimates that the cost of the OAS program without changes would grow from $38 billion in 2011 to $108 billion in 2030. That means the 13 cents of every federal tax dollar being spent on OAS benefits today would become 21 cents for every tax dollar being needed for the program in 2030-31.Flexibility: Allowing seniors to choose to defer taking their OAS pension will provide them with more choice to make decisions appropriate to their own circumstances.Efficiency: The phased-in proact ive enrolment of many seniors in the OAS and GIS programs will not only reduce an unnecessary burden on seniors, it is also a long-overdue administrative change that should save government program costs. When Do the OAS Changes Happen? Here are the time frames for the changes to the OAS: Increasing the Eligible Age for OAS and Supplemental Benefits: These changes begin in April 2023 and are being phased in over six years until January 2029. These charts of OAS changes show the ages by quarter.Voluntary Deferral of OAS Pension: The  voluntary deferral of the OAS option for up to five years begins July 2013.​Proactive Enrolment in OAS and GIS: This will be phased in from 2013 to 2016. Those who are eligible will be notified personally by mail. Those who are not eligible will be sent applications or can pick up applications from Service Canada. You should apply for the OAS at least six months before you turn 65. There will be more information on this option available from Service Canada as it is developed. Questions About Old Age Security If you have questions about the Old Age Security program, I suggest you Check the information on the Old Age Security pension on the Service Canada site​Read the Frequently Asked Questions about the OAS on the Service Canada site. Their contact information is also on that page.