I. adverb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a bit depressed British English spoken:
▪
I felt a bit depressed because I was so short of money.
a bit of a chat spoken BrE:
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Perhaps I could have a bit of a chat with him.
a bit of a cheek
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It’s a bit of a cheek , asking me for money.
a bit of a misunderstanding British English
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I’m afraid it’s all a bit of a misunderstanding.
a bit/little scared
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I was always a little scared of my father.
a little/a bit nervous
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I was a little nervous before the interview.
a piece/bit of cheese
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Would you like a piece of cheese?
a piece/bit of chocolate
▪
Would you like a piece of chocolate?
a piece/bit of information ( also an item of information formal )
▪
He provided me with several useful pieces of information.
be a bit of a blow British English especially spoken (= be disappointing or cause problems for you )
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The result was a bit of a blow for the team.
be a bit of a gamble (= involve a small amount of risk )
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It was a bit of a gamble putting him on the field, but he played well.
be (a bit of a) minefield
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Dating can be a bit of a minefield.
be a bit of a myth (= be not really true )
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The whole story is a bit of a myth.
be a bit of a shock British English especially spoken (= be a shock, but not very serious or unpleasant )
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I wasn’t expecting to win, so it was a bit of a shock.
be a bit of an exaggeration informal (= be a slight exaggeration )
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It's a bit of an exaggeration to say he's handsome.
bit part
▪
He’s had bit parts in a couple of soaps.
bit player
▪
Although he was NRC chairman, Hervey was strictly a bit player in government.
blow sb/sth to pieces/bits/smithereens
▪
A bomb like that could blow you to bits.
every bit as much as
▪
I loved him every bit as much as she did.
every last drop/bit/scrap etc (= all of something, including even the smallest amount of it )
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They made us pick up every last scrap of paper.
is a bit of a mess
▪
Sorry – the place is a bit of a mess .
I’m a bit short British English spoken (= I haven’t got much money at the moment )
Let’s have a bit of hush
▪
Let’s have a bit of hush , please, gentlemen.
see you in a bit British English (= see you soon )
threepenny bit
thrilled to bits/pieces (= very thrilled )
tiny bit
▪
She always felt a tiny bit sad.
went a bit mad (= spent a lot of money )
▪
We went a bit mad and ordered champagne.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(a bit of) a mouthful
(it's) a bit thick
(just) that little bit better/easier etc
▪
We have put together a few of the most popular itineraries to help make your choice that little bit easier.
a bit of a lad
a bit of how's your father
a bit of hush
a bit of rough
▪
At the moment it looks more like a bit of rough pasture ... full of dandelions and clover patches.
a bit of skirt
a fair size/amount/number/bit/distance etc
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But a fair number of them went on to greater things.
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It prefers a fair amount of nutritious detritus.
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Scientists must proceed cautiously, moving ahead only with the assent of a fair number of their colleagues.
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Thanks to the inherently leaky nature of the water industry, there is already a fair amount of information to go on.
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That involved a fair amount of travel.
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There was a fair amount going on.
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They'd have a fair bit of tidying up to do before they left.
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You may also be involved in a fair amount of travel.
a little bit
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He was even maybe a little bit relieved, because immediately it was clear that Ernie was what she needed.
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I prefer to talk a little bit.
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I really just did it for a little bit, and then gave it up.
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There was, I suspect, a little bit of Otago isolationism involved.
a wee bit
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Don't you think her behavior is just a wee bit bizarre?
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As for the holiday, I agree with you, it sounds a wee bit unlikely.
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He is hapless, passive and maybe just a wee bit smug.
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It is a wee bit disconcerting when you can hear yourself think in a pub these days.
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Monica is a wee bit overweight.
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Reason I ask, Mr Rasmussen says you seemed a wee bit tipsy.
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There is no label on the bottle, it tastes a wee bit vinegary.
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We have been lacking a wee bit of professionalism recently.
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You might be just a wee bit too clever for your own good now.
be a bit much/be too much
be champing at the bit
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David is champing at the bit.
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Within three months Eva was champing at the bit.
be falling to pieces/bits
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The walls were all dirty and the furniture was falling to pieces.
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But most of the material was falling to pieces.
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The Soviet Union is falling to pieces; a bloody struggle for those pieces can not be ruled out.
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There's a difference between consciously colouring a passage and not being able to control a voice that is falling to bits.
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They would blaze into prominence just as the foreground planting was falling to pieces.
every bit as good/important etc
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Barbara was every bit as good as she sounded.
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Here, the Fund runs many family projects that are less well-known but doing work that is every bit as important.
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If you looked through a microscope you could see that they had cheekbones every bit as good as Hope Steadman's.
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In terms of predicting and controlling the social environment, high technology can quite clearly be every bit as important as brute force.
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It is for this reason that good balanced design is every bit as important as meticulous craftsmanship.
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It takes no more than five minutes and tastes every bit as good at the oven-baked variety.
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The explanation is every bit as important as the numbers!
fall to pieces/bits
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After he left, I fell to pieces.
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As a result, now that the autumn rains were here, it was already showing signs of falling to pieces.
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Being a super-duper well-'ard off-road jobbie, your machine can take a fair amount of punishment before falling to bits.
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He hated playing agony aunt but he couldn't afford to have Hirschfeldt falling to pieces.
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Supposing the union fell to pieces, these were the fracture lines along which it would naturally break.
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The media seemed to be willing the marriage to fall to pieces.
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The Soviet Union is falling to pieces; a bloody struggle for those pieces can not be ruled out.
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There's a difference between consciously colouring a passage and not being able to control a voice that is falling to bits.
it's (a little/bit) late in the day (to do sth)
not make a blind bit of difference
not take/pay a blind bit of notice
▪
For six years, the Government have not taken a blind bit of notice of the Audit Commission's report.
not the least/not in the least/not the least bit
quite a lot/bit/few
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A better day today, Miss Lavant wrote in her diary, quite a bit of sunshine.
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By no means, Watson; even now quite a few scientists continue to doubt.
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I lived quite a lot of my early childhood at the Thompsons' house behind a shop on Harehills Parade.
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Obviously, you have to wear quite a lot of protective clothing to minimise the risk of getting injured.
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Over 296 pages, Fallows cites quite a few.
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The man looks prosperous, like quite a few men.
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There's quite a bit of noise coming from the kitchens.
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There has been quite a lot of talk recently about adding enzymes to help the carp digest our sophisticated carp baits.
take sth to bits/pieces
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After all these years, I'd taken something to bits and successfully put it all back together again.
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Carter shrugged and fetching a, paraffin stove from inside a caravan began to take it to pieces.
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He learnt how to take a car to pieces.
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Most reputable dealers will take a computer to pieces for you.
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Operators decided to clean down equipment regularly, not just superficially, but by taking it to pieces.
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Unfortunately appearances has been misleading and heavy filling was found as they started to take it to bits.
the hair of the dog (that bit you)
with (any) luck/with a bit of luck
II. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
fair
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In the past I'd seen a fair bit of Lloyd.
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The uncertain nature of Internet connections still results in a fair bit of static at times.
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However, top of range is top of range in both cases and professional instruments cost a fair bit .
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I conduct executive searches for senior-level management, so I know a fair bit about how these companies are managed.
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They'd have a fair bit of tidying up to do before they left.
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New Labour comes in for a fair bit of his well-advertised stick.
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Like Storie Russell also did a fair bit of coaching.
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You do have to compromise a fair bit and I suppose that I would like more freedom than I've got.
little
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Every little bit helped and I was encouraged.
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So I smell a little bit .
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But this little bit they don't know about.
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I was normally not prone to astrological contemplations, but what harm could there be in a little bit of astrology?
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Tansy didn't approve of me one little bit , what with being from the circus and not paying for it.
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I crowed a little bit , but not much because, hey, I pick them to win it every year.
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He had a little bit of money his father had left him.
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Pittsburgh has gone to a little bit of a new look now with that wide receiver set they have.
tiny
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But still easy enough to get it just a tiny bit wrong.
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And maybe a tiny bit drunk?
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Collect together sequins, tiny glass beads, tiny shells, bits of lace and braid and ribbon.
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Which raises our opinion of Aldridge -- at least a tiny bit .
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It made her feel strong, invincible almost, and just a tiny bit as if she had drunk too much wine.
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One thing Abdul-Rauf has done is make us all think just a tiny bit .
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There's something slightly unbalanced about the whole composition, as if there's a tiny bit missing somewhere.
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She looked healthy and young and a tiny bit awkward.
wee
▪
As for the holiday, I agree with you, it sounds a wee bit unlikely.
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Reason I ask, Mr Rasmussen says you seemed a wee bit tipsy.
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We have been lacking a wee bit of professionalism recently.
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He is hapless, passive and maybe just a wee bit smug.
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Monica is a wee bit overweight.
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There is no label on the bottle, it tastes a wee bit vinegary.
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It is a wee bit disconcerting when you can hear yourself think in a pub these days.
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If you're not a lover of platform games it could be a wee bit tedious.
■ VERB
blow
▪
It must have more than compensated for being shot down, or blown to bits .
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He blew a bit of thistledown from the still-wet surface of his picture.
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On a raid over Essen the aircraft was blown to bits .
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The facades of neoclassic landmarks were blown to bits during the sectarian fighting.
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A bus shelter feet away was blown to bits .
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Eight of our people were blown to bits .
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Every few months a child is blown to bits .
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Auster laughed, and in that laugh everything was suddenly blown to bits .
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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'Would you like a slice of cake?' 'I'll just have a little bit , please.'
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a 16-bit processor
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Alan did the easy bit -- it was me who did all the hard work!
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Have you got a bit of paper I can write your address on?
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I'd like to try that cake. Just give me a small bit please.
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I'll probably do a bit of gardening this weekend.
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I found some bits of glass in my sandwich.
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I was a bit late.
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I wouldn't give you two bits for that old book.
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My favourite bit is when they try to escape.
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Some bits of the book are actually quite funny.
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the bit of the garden where the fruit trees are
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The jumper was very cheap - it'll probably fall to bits the first time I wear it.
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There'll be a war, and we'll all be blown to bits!
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There were little bits of food all over the carpet.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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All these bits and pieces washed ashore.
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He circled the house, looking in, and saw nothing but the bits and pieces of ordinary living.
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I hope this letter shows Rotties are not at all vicious but need a little bit of love and care.
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I mean that you did whatever you wanted without the slightest bit of concern as to how your behavior might affect others.
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I probably could, but I should get a bit of support from the script-writers.
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The bloke was living a bit of a fantasy life.
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The lantern swung on the beam, the glasses jumped on the table, and bits of earth fell from the ceiling.
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They looked every bit as scary to me as I had heard that they were from adults and other children.