Simon said Wal-Mart will also give its part-time workers first crack at its full-time jobs, should they want one.

FORBES: Eight Retail CEOs (Including Wal-Mart's) Reveal Top Goals For 2013

In Texas, regulars come by the store that sells TSA items and check with employees on shipment schedules to get first crack at top-brand sunglasses and fine watches.

WSJ: Shopping for a Rolling Pin, Scissors or a Bat? This Auction Is for You

These were the direct ancestors of the "co-location" and "direct data feeds" that have enabled high-frequency traders to get first crack at market prices on today's stock exchanges.

WSJ: New Twist Is Added to an Age-Old Saga

More classic play followed, but Murray was the first to crack as Djokovic broke to lead 4-3.

CNN: Djokovic beats Murray in classic Shanghai final

Finally, Vizio says it's doubled the battery capacity, which is great news because the first-gen laptop we tested couldn't even crack four hours.

ENGADGET

But it also promised a higher-contrast screen, faster page turning, more battery life and storage and, most importantly, a sleek new design that erases the clunky-looking asymmetry of Amazon's first crack at the gadget.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Players were barely mentioned by name, apart from Steven Gerrard, who gets first crack at persuading Capello he is a worthy long-term captain.

BBC: England boss Fabio Capello

That year, someone mailed Hotz a PlayStation 3 video-game system, challenging him to be the first in the world to crack it.

NEWYORKER: Machine Politics

Kay built Croquet with help from six crack programmers, funding it first with his own money and then through Hewlett-Packard's research labs, where he is a senior fellow.

FORBES: Croquet, Everyone?

As the sort of people who are on a first-name basis with librarians, historians and English professors, historians are thrilled to hold a new book, to crack the binding and break it in like a new pair of shoes.

FORBES: OMG: Old Media Guilt