41.   Fletcher had the first word as well as the last.

42.   He flashed his impossibly toothy smile, and almost sheepishly intoned his first words since turning professional Tuesday.

43.   He did it all backwards, inventing first words, then worlds.

44.   He is best summed up by the first words in the book of his wife, Susan.

45.   Her first words on the subject Sunday were a typical blend of reassurance and challenge.

46.   His first words as prime minister later were certainly more solemn than cheerful.

47.   His first words yesterday gave thanks to Allah.

48.   His first word was art.

49.   I called up the word-processing module, typed in the first few words of this column, and saved it to the disk.

50.   I never know the first word that will come out of my mouth.