Learn English – the meaning of “Spray and pray”

To read into something means to assume more than what is explicitly written or said.

read something into something
to give your own meaning to something rather than what was intended
Experts warned against reading too much into Friday's election results. People can read into his comments anything they want to, but no decision has been made.

Usage notes: usually used with too much or anything, as in the examples

See the above and additional definitions at: The Free Dictionary

In most contexts, in the first place [assertion A] is a somewhat metaphoric usage where first doesn't really have anything to do with the temporal sense of A being in some way earliest in time.

It's usually used in contexts where there are several relevant factors that might be mentioned by the speaker. But assertion A is the most important one (and/or the one from which further supporting assertions logically follow, and the speaker intends to go on and make those further assertions).

In short, it's sense 2 in oxforddictionaries: first - Foremost in position, rank, or importance.

USAGE NOTE: The metaphorical usage referred to above almost always occurs before the relevant assertion. Consider...

1: In the first place John was there.
(The fact that John was there is central to the points I'm about to make.)

2: John was there in the first place.
(John was already there before whatever happened next that I'm going to tell you about.)

It's also worth noting that usage #1 generally occurs in contexts where the speaker is refuting, or disagreeing with someone else's prior assertion (you wouldn't be so likely to use it as the opening line to start a conversation or make a point).