Head of the line

[GoodTaste]

Does "Head of the line" mean that, (for example there is a line with 10 people buying food at McDonald's), the 1st, 2nd and 3rd persons are called "head of the line"?


=====================

Who gets a COVID vaccine first? Access plans are taking shape
.......................
Head of the line
The WHO’s guidance at this point lists only which groups of people should have priority access to vaccines. The NASEM guidance goes a step further by ranking priority groups in order of who should get a vaccine first (see ‘A tiered approach’).

Source: Nature 17 SEPTEMBER 2020
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02684-9

 

[GoesStation]

Doesn't the context make that clear?

 

[GoodTaste]

Not absolutely clear. Because the context is talking about which groups should be prioritized. So it impresses you as "prioritized groups = head", which appears to be a bit odd.

 

[Tarheel]

It's not head. It's head of the line.

 

[GoodTaste]

The person/group at the head of the line is in the number one position. Everybody else is behind them.

Have you read the article? According to NASEM (The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine), the "head" is "Health-care workers and first responders" because they will first get vaccinated. Do you call all these people as number 1? That is why I said "1st, 2nd and 3rd persons".

 

[PeterCW]

Where did you get the idea of 1st 2nd and 3rd people?

The person/group at the head of the line is in the number one position. Everybody else is behind them.

Possibly not quite so clear in American English for a non-native speaker. The BrE expression would be "front of the queue".

 

[GoesStation]

According to NASEM (The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine), the "head" is "Health-care workers and first responders" because they will first get vaccinated. Do you call all these people as number 1? That is why I said "1st, 2nd and 3rd persons".

They're seeing the line as consisting of various groups. The group consisting of health-care workers and first responders is the first one.

I would think this works the same in any language. It's a question of logic, not language.

 

[Tarheel]

Have you read the article? According to NASEM (The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine), the "head" is "Health-care workers and first responders" because they will first get vaccinated. Do you call all these people [STRIKE]as[/STRIKE] number 1?

No. And you shouldn't either. That group is at the head of the line. (They have priority.)

 

[GoodTaste]

No. And you shouldn't eithe (They have priority.)

Shouldn't what?

 

[Tarheel]

Do you call all these people [STRIKE]as[/STRIKE] number 1?

No. I don't.

 

[GoesStation]

Do you call all these people [STRIKE]as[/STRIKE] number 1?

No. I don't.

But the group as a whole is first in line (American English).

 

[GoodTaste]

Do you call all these people [STRIKE]as[/STRIKE] number 1?

No. I don't.

These people are the first (to be vaccinated). What is the difference between the first and the number 1?

No difference?

 

[GoesStation]

These people are the first (to be vaccinated). What is the difference between "the first" and [STRIKE]the[/STRIKE] "number [STRIKE]1[/STRIKE] one"?

No difference?

"The first" is natural. "Number one" isn't.

Do I have to repeat the rule about marking quoted text?