The origin of A-1

Factual Questions
1

What came first? A-1 steak sauce or the phrase, A-1?
If the latter, why isn’t there a Z-26, to signify something being dead last?

2

A1 adj. [mid-19c+] excellent, perfect, first-class, in prime condition; alternatives are *A1 copper-bottomed *and (US) A1 and no mistake, letter A, number 1 [insurance jargon A1 the top rating given to a ship at the insurers Lloyds of London]

A1 n. [1980s+] (drugs) amphetamine [abbr. + comment on its supposed quality]

Cassel’s Dictionary of Slang.

Note the lack of a hyphen. And be careful of that sauce.

3

And be careful of that spelling of Cassell’s.

4

According to ISO216 an A1 sheet of paper is 594x841mm.

5

A1 is also a boyband, about which the less said the better.

6

According to this website

A1 Steak Sauce was first sold under that name in 1873. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “A1” appeared in print meaning “first-class” at least as early as 1837.

7

A-1 sauce is a rip of HP sauce from merry ol’ England.

8

…except that:

  1. HP Sauce first appeared on the scene in 1899, 24 years after A1 Sauce appeared (as noted above, and if you read the A1 site you’ll note the steak sauce itself was around much earlier than the A1 name); and

  2. they’re not the same thing. Similar, yes, in that they’re both bottled sauces to go on red meat, but not the same. “Steak sauce” is not “brown sauce”.

9

Appeared in Dickens in 1837, but originated from the Lloyd’s shipping ratings already cited. Sauce came later.