In The First Place (Adverb)

Before now; "why didn't you tell me in the first place?".

Why didn't you mention you were allergic to shellfish in the first place?
I wouldn't have lent you money if you told me about your history of debt in the first place.
This is the third time I've had to replace the part, if they had used quality materials in the first place it wouldn't be a problem now.
He should have thought of the consequences in the first place before making such a reckless decision.
I'm frustrated that I wasted my time on this project, if I had known the real goal in the first place I would have approached it differently.

Of primary import; "this is primarily a question of economics"; "it was in the first place a local matter".

The decision to cancel the project was made in the first place because of the lack of funding.
This is primarily a question of economics, as the cost of production is in the first place a major concern.
The new policy was implemented in the first place to improve customer satisfaction.
The issue of climate change is in the first place a global problem that requires international cooperation.
The company's primary goal was to increase profits, and the new marketing strategy was introduced in the first place to achieve this objective.