title: How can I get the first string from a Bash list?
body: <p>I do have a Bash list (space separated string) and I just want to extract the first string from it.</p>
  <p>Example:</p>
  <pre><code> VAR=&quot;aaa bbb ccc&quot; -&gt; I need &quot;aaa&quot;
   VAR=&quot;xxx&quot; -&gt; I need &quot;xxx&quot;
  </code></pre>
  <p>Is there another trick than using a <em>for</em> with <em>break</em>?</p>