LITTLE

I. adjective

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a big/little kiss

▪

She put her arms around him and gave him a big kiss.

a bit more/less

▪

Can we have a bit less noise, please?

a bit/little scared

▪

I was always a little scared of my father.

a lesser evil (= a bad thing, but not as bad as something else )

▪

She knew that she couldn't leave the children, so she opted for the lesser evil and stayed.

a lesser offence (= one that is not as serious as another offence )

▪

For rioting you can receive ten years in prison, while for the lesser offence of violent disorder you can receive five years in prison.

a little bit

▪

Everyone needs a little bit of encouragement.

a little bit

▪

Aren’t you being a little bit unfair?

a little brother ( also a kid brother American English ) (= younger brother )

▪

My kid brother was always annoying me.

a little chat

▪

Why don’t you call her and have a little chat.

a little click

▪

The neon sign made little clicks as it changed colour.

a little misunderstanding (= one that is not serious )

▪

We need to clear up this little misunderstanding.

a little niche informal:

▪

I feel as if I've found my little niche in life.

a little scream

▪

Mrs Wood gave a little scream.

a little secret (= a personal secret that very few people know )

▪

You must promise me that this will be our little secret.

a little talk

▪

I’m glad we’ve had this little talk.

a little town

▪

a pretty little town in the French Alps

a little walk

▪

I just felt like a little walk.

a little/a bit nervous

▪

I was a little nervous before the interview.

a little/faint/slight smile

▪

She gave him an apologetic little smile.

a little/kid sister (= a younger sister )

▪

She was very fond of her little sister.

a little/many/some/any more

▪

Can I have a little more time to finish?

▪

Are there any more sandwiches?

a little/minor mistake

▪

The essay was full of little mistakes.

a little/minor mystery

▪

It was a minor mystery how the file had survived the fire.

a little/short rest

▪

He decided to stop and take a short rest.

a little/short sleep

▪

I always have a little sleep in the afternoon.

a little/short while ago

▪

Tom got a letter from him just a little while ago.

a little/short while

▪

Wait a little while before deciding.

a little/slightly unfair ( also a bit unfair British English spoken )

▪

You’re being slightly unfair on him.

a little/slightly worried ( also a bit worried British English )

▪

I was a bit worried about my exams.

a little/small sigh

▪

Quinn let out a little sigh and closed the book.

a little/small/tiny creature

▪

tiny creatures such as mice

a little/somewhat/slightly surprised

▪

He was a little surprised by her request.

a little/tiny bit

▪

The floor was covered in tiny bits of glass.

a short/little nap

▪

A short nap may make you feel better.

a short/little/small laugh

▪

He let out a nervous little laugh.

a small/little cry

▪

The child gave a small cry and burst into tears.

a small/little favour

▪

Can you do me a small favour?

a small/little movement

▪

She made a restless little movement.

at least one occasion (= once, and probably more than once )

▪

On at least one occasion he was arrested for robbery.

be little/no consolation

▪

The fact that there has been a reduction in crime is little consolation to victims of crime.

be (little/no) room for optimism (= have a possibility that things might get better )

▪

There is little room for optimism in the current financial situation.

be more so/less so/too much so

▪

The band is popular and likely to become more so.

▪

Jerry is very honest, perhaps too much so.

be of little/no importance

▪

Where the money came from is of no importance.

bear little/no resemblance to sb/sth

▪

He bore little resemblance to the photograph in the newspaper.

bear no/little relationship to sth

▪

The allegations bore no relationship to the facts.

could at least

▪

You could at least say that you’re sorry.

dirty little

▪

you and your dirty little deals

far more/less

▪

I enjoyed it far more than I expected.

(far/rather/a little) too much

▪

There was too much work for one person.

▪

It would cost far too much to have the thing repaired.

have little to eat (= not have enough food )

▪

The refugees had very little to eat and no clean water.

have little/no incentive to do sth

▪

Poor farmers have little incentive to grow crops for export.

have little/no patience with sb

▪

I'm afraid I have little patience with bureaucrats and their official rules.

have little/no reason to complain

▪

The school is good and parents have little reason to complain.

have more/less luck

▪

I hope you have more luck in the next competition.

have no/little alternative (but to do sth)

▪

He had no alternative but to resign.

have no/little doubt

▪

I have no doubt that you are right.

have no/little option but to do sth (= have no other choice than to do something )

▪

I had no option but to fire him.

have some/no/little credibility

▪

By then the president had ceased to have any credibility.

have some/no/little say in sth

▪

The workers had no say in how the factory was run.

higher/larger/less etc than normal

▪

The journey took longer than normal.

hold (little) interest/appeal/promise etc

▪

Many church services hold little appeal for modern tastes.

just/a little short of sth

▪

She was just short of six feet tall.

least worst

▪

Often it’s a question of choosing the least worst option.

leave no/little doubt (that) (= make people sure or almost sure about something )

▪

The evidence left no doubt that he was the murderer.

less advantaged

▪

Some of the boys come from less advantaged backgrounds.

less than perfect (= not perfect )

▪

So many excellent writers, for example Byron and Keats, were less than perfect spellers.

less well-off (= have less money )

▪

Many pensioners are less well-off than they used to be.

less/least likely

▪

The smallest puppies are the least likely to survive.

less/least likely

▪

The smallest puppies are the least likely to survive.

limited/little opportunity (= not many chances )

▪

They had little opportunity to discuss the issue beforehand.

little boy (= young male child )

▪

What a polite little boy you are.

little boy (= young son )

▪

How old is your little boy ?

Little Britain

little detail (= not much detail )

▪

Maps of the area showed little detail.

Little did...know (= she did not know )

▪

Little did she know that years later she would have her own pool and luxury apartment in Florida.

little enthusiasm (= not much enthusiasm )

▪

In the nearby villages, there’s little enthusiasm for the airport.

little extras

▪

It’s got lots of useful little extras .

little finger

little foibles

▪

We all have our little foibles .

little kid

▪

She’d always loved animals since she was a little kid .

little people

▪

It’s the little people who bear the brunt of taxation.

little regard (= not enough regard )

▪

He drove himself on, with little regard for his own health.

little reward

▪

They have to work very hard for very little reward.

little scally

▪

You rude little scally !

little significance

▪

This information on its own is of little significance.

little/a lot of/no persuading

▪

He took a lot of persuading to come out of retirement it was hard to persuade him .

little/lower/high/greater etc likelihood

▪

There was very little likelihood of her getting the job.

little/no success

▪

Attempts to resolve the dispute met with little success.

little/small/minor

▪

Old cars often develop minor engine problems.

little/small/tiny

▪

He lived all his life in a small cottage by the river.

little/small/young girl

▪

I’ve known Mollie ever since I was a little girl.

lovely little

▪

He was a lovely little boy.

more/less fortunate than sb

▪

We’ve been more fortunate than a lot of farmers.

more/less frequent

▪

Her headaches are becoming less frequent.

more/most/less/equally importantly

▪

Most importantly, you must keep a record of everything you do.

nasty little

▪

You’re a nasty little brute!

no/little/not much chance

▪

The prisoners knew there was little chance of escape.

not hold out much hope/hold out little hope

▪

Negotiators aren’t holding out much hope of a peaceful settlement.

not in the least bit

▪

I’m not in the least bit interested in whose fault it is.

not matter much/matter little

▪

I don’t think it matters much what you study.

of little value

▪

The information was of little value.

or at least

▪

We’ve cleaned it all up, or at least most of it.

puny little

▪

a puny little guy

quite a bit more/less

▪

They’re worth quite a bit more than I thought.

rotten little

▪

a rotten little brat

see little/no merit in sth (= think that something is not a good idea )

▪

I can see no merit in violence.

see more/less of sb (= see someone more or less often )

▪

They’ve seen more of each other since Dan moved to London.

slightly overweight/a little overweight ( also a bit overweight )

▪

He was tall and slightly overweight.

▪

He’s a bit overweight, not too much.

slightly/a little embarrassed

▪

Tom looked slightly embarrassed when his name was called out.

small/little

▪

It’s a small island, barely twenty miles long.

small/little/tiny

▪

They come from a small village in Laos.

some/a little/a long way ahead

▪

The clinic was now in sight, some way ahead.

sth happens when you least expect it

▪

Bad luck tends to happen when you least expect it.

sth is one of life’s (little) mysteries (= it is something that you will never understand – used humorously )

▪

Where socks disappear to after they’ve been washed is one of life’s little mysteries.

the little guy American English (= ordinary people rather than a powerful organization such as a government or a large company )

▪

He wanted to get elected and fight for the little guy.

there is no/little/some doubt (= used to talk about how sure people are about something )

▪

There is little doubt that he will play for England one day.

tiny little

▪

a tiny little baby

to a lesser extent ( also to less extent ) (= less )

▪

The same is true for women, though to a lesser extent.

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADVERB

as

▪

Moving himself as little as possible, Chick leant forward and pressed a button.

▪

Which as a practical matter is usually about twelve years and can be as little as eight.

▪

But if they do not leave, he said, ecological disaster could be as little as five or 10 years away.

▪

These sets are no bigger than a transistor radio and cost as little as $ 100 at the nearby discount electronics store.

▪

He waited until she had closed the door then went back up, making as little noise as possible.

▪

Flipping a thousand bunches can earn a worker as little as $ 30.

▪

Mr Guerin's lawyer said he had advised Mr Guerin to say as little as possible for the time being.

▪

Subscribers also need to buy a special device that costs as little as $ 20.

relatively

▪

Even when it is in session it devotes relatively little energy to the serious scrutiny and debate of government policy.

▪

Of his formal education we know relatively little .

▪

And for better or worse, the new interactivity brings enormous political leverage to ordinary citizens at relatively little cost.

▪

The puppy will then settle in with relatively little difficulty as a member of the family.

▪

Research has reflected relatively little success in teaching moderation to severely dependent alcoholics.

▪

These facts and figures added relatively little to what was already known in outline.

▪

As a result, import prices rise relatively little even when the dollar plunges.

so

▪

The apathy of the people towards unemployment was one of the things that caused so little notice to be taken of it.

▪

These people here have so little conception of our world that sometimes I feel myself as if I must have dreamed it.

▪

She must have passed out, but then she had drunk so little .

▪

Most of us are like sleepwalkers here, because we notice so little .

▪

It may well be the reason why this motility pattern has previously attracted so little attention.

▪

So many stories, so little time.

▪

Or are we perhaps just a little surprised that it should take so little to set nation against nation.

too

▪

Too much there or too little ?

▪

But that would be too little too late.

▪

By the time the mare impacts occurred there would probably have been too little dust available to fill the maria.

▪

Although the licensing agreement is good news for Apple, some wonder whether it is too little , too late.

▪

Surely there'd been too little time, but then her father wouldn't have needed much time, would he?

▪

Conversely, there might be too little capacity for decisive action in a cabinet system when there is no stable majority.

▪

Too much time was spent on systems considerations and too little on financial management.

▪

The question is whether it is too little too late.

very

▪

At any time, very little visiting took place and the women were always alone.

▪

The rich supposedly think otherwise -- and manage to pay very little .

▪

When Roeder began he found very little material and much that was written erroneously, even in the Dictionary of National Biography.

▪

Each is a hermetically sealed universe, bumping off the others with very little cross-pollination.

▪

The great course has changed very little since then.

▪

There would be very little potential in the relationship.

▪

We used to live in this poky flat in the middle of London when I was very little .

▪

The thin carbon dioxide atmosphere on Mars admits sunlight to the surface with very little attenuation.

■ NOUN

attention

▪

Relatively little attention has been paid to the origins of labouring class poetry.

▪

I paid little attention to him.

▪

It may well be the reason why this motility pattern has previously attracted so little attention .

▪

We spend little time on peers' expectations, for the managers devoted little attention to them.

▪

When connected and adjusted, an air pump needs very little attention .

▪

One of his great failings was paying too little attention to the daily news.

▪

Yet television paid relatively little attention to them.

▪

It was a loaner from a manufacturer and had received little attention from the borrowers ahead of me.

bit

▪

We have even found ourselves teaching a little bit of linguistics, since some of the comrades seemed interested.

▪

I got hit a little bit with Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis.

▪

She didn't like any of this, not one little bit .

▪

A little bit of sleep was the nearest thing to consolation left for people like us.

▪

While climbing the last little bit I couldn't help thinking of all the mates who had been killed.

▪

At first we got a little bit of static from nonparents.

▪

I prefer to talk a little bit .

▪

I had to make minor adjustments, moving the steering wheel a little bit this way, a little bit that way.

boy

▪

He was unable to find work and went back to the North to be near his little boy .

▪

The little boy was too innocent to realize the implications of telling adults what they want to hear rather than the truth.

▪

Forget Sophie, who was given to drama and tantrum anyway, what about Ben, my little boy ?

▪

Even the little boys polished their groins when she clipped by on the sidewalk.

▪

It was something of a shock to him to realize how fond of the little boy he had become.

▪

B.. Once there was a little boy whose name was Henry.

▪

But then they were just two little boys .

▪

The little boy laughed and ran back to where she was sitting.

brother

▪

On that occasion it was my little brother Jerry who shone.

▪

They look like big brother and little brother.

▪

It was Tess who worried and worked and felt responsible for her little brothers and sisters.

▪

He had gone on an expedition with his little brother to a discount shopping mall in Reading, Pennsylvania.

▪

He had been seeking out the spot on which his little brother was strangled and we had encountered the murderer there.

▪

She is also mean to my little brother .

▪

Francis, my husband, was like a little brother to me.

▪

And little brother Ernest would follow.

chance

▪

If there are six people walking abreast there is little chance that they will create an avenue for you to go through.

▪

This leaves little chance of obtaining job satisfaction.

▪

He believes that there is little chance of him finding a job in the near future.

▪

Despite their gains of recent weeks, opposition leaders acknowledge that they have little chance of toppling the Khartoum government by force.

▪

But that process would be complicated, and stands little chance of success.

▪

The women had claimed they were channeled into low-paying jobs with little chance for promotion.

▪

Without a theatrical release in their own domestic market, they stood little chance of recouping the money lavished on them.

▪

Or are the few crabs that we see so voracious that any new recruit stands little chance of survival?

child

▪

Suffer the little children ...

▪

The little child , the wood dove, was going under.

▪

There were several families under the trees now, with little children running around and babies crawling about in the grass.

▪

The little child did not look dead at all.

▪

Shoals of little children reach up to this counter with hot handfuls of change.

▪

But you sleep softly, little child , Sunk deep in rest within your cheerless home, Only a box, brass-bound.

▪

It went faster and with more noise than the roundabouts for little children with engines and ducks and bicycles fixed on.

▪

On her second morning in Motijhil she found five little children waiting for her.

difference

▪

This little difference adds up to a large saving.

▪

It was that hour of dusk when the streetlights and headlights come on but make little difference .

▪

They drag on from generation to generation and emigration to Britain makes very little difference .

▪

The pressing seemed to make little difference and only with the extended salting times.

▪

There is little difference between the two.

▪

At the time it made little difference what it might be since I glided in and out of consciousness throughout the procedure.

▪

Amongst Sun readers, there was little difference between Labour and Conservative identifiers in their perceptions of its anti-Labour, pro-Conservative bias.

▪

The adults would take turns staying awake and fanning those sleeping, but this made little difference .

doubt

▪

There is little doubt that their handwriting skills develop at a slower pace than their linguistic skills.

▪

But there was little doubt that the Chiangs were somewhere in the background.

▪

There seems to be little doubt , however, that the development of the form imbricata is determined genetically.

▪

There is little doubt that this man deserved to die.

▪

There is little doubt that the effectiveness of the strike was greatly impaired by its internal difficulties and external opposition.

▪

There is little doubt that those Roman writers who equate slaves with concubines were telling the truth.

▪

There is little doubt that the effect would be to drastically reduce the number of generic substitutes supplied by pharmacists.

▪

There seems to be little doubt that work-inhibited students have limited faith in their ability to persevere in academic life.

evidence

▪

And there appears to be little evidence that that will occur soon.

▪

Long-term studies on mortality showed that there was little evidence to believe that losing weight will prolong your life, either.

▪

The other grave goods provide what little evidence we have for the economic basis and material culture of its population.

▪

Until recently, most studies found little evidence that job turnover was on the rise.

▪

These suppositions are rejected because there is little evidence to support them.

▪

There is little evidence of economic outcomes.

▪

There is regrettably little evidence to support or to challenge this.

▪

As yet, there is little evidence to support this conclusion.

finger

▪

Margaret offered Maura her little finger with a shy smile.

▪

The last thing he did was bite off the little finger of her left hand.

▪

The little finger is not used in harp-playing.

▪

Before long, Jennifer has Carlos wrapped around her little finger .

▪

I use it on my little finger and my fingers are real thin.

▪

I gave a little finger wave and he waved back.

▪

He nodded politely to Wakelate and took the glass of brandy with a crooked little finger .

▪

The green eyes and brown summer skin and slim legs and shapely little fingers .

girl

▪

Eva was only two then, and all I could think was that he'd stolen my little girl .

▪

One day the serious little girl brought him a small mirror, much cracked.

▪

Why not settle in, raise your little girl , sign up for the concert and drama series.

▪

She was a little girl who lived across from Ali's old Louisville home when he was at the top.

▪

The little girl lit another match.

▪

You're just an ordinary little girl .

▪

When she called me a little girl , I remember I wanted to cry.

help

▪

At present very little help can be given to such enquirers.

▪

Center Ray Ferraro made it 2-0 with a little help from Verbeek.

▪

And with a little help from its friends, the big multinational companies and landowning farmers, it is spreading its roots.

▪

There are only challenged people, who with a little help can be just like everyone else.

▪

Paul Reece keeping out Bobby Barnes, with a little help from the cross-bar.

▪

With little help from her father, she raised the younger children and saw them all through college.

▪

The concept of responsibility offers little help .

▪

Both programs are the product of congresses dominated by Democratic liberals, with little help from Republicans.

hope

▪

There's little hope in this film - the forces of law are as bad in their way as the drug barons.

▪

The Standing was in its ninth month, and there seemed little hope of compromise.

▪

And there was little hope that government intervention would bring about a more flexible cinema industry.

▪

It may seem to some of you that there's very little hope left for us in Krishnapur.

▪

Bloodied but unwilling to give up, he has little hope of winning Florida or any of the Southern state primaries Tuesday.

▪

If that is right, there is little hope unless they can quickly persuade people to start buying again.

▪

Around me I could find little hope ....

interest

▪

At first sight these distinctions may seem of little interest to the archaeologist.

▪

They had little interest in matching the four-year, $ 4. 5 million contract the Florida Marlins threw at Hernandez.

▪

The Government has no little interest in this as the negative food trade gap is about £5.7 billion.

▪

With fuel cheap these days, the market has shown little interest in the issue.

▪

Increasingly high standards favour the larger wealthy companies that have little interest in tropical diseases.

▪

An angry crowd gathered, confronting the police, who showed little interest in dispersing them, and began taunting the marshals.

▪

Those involved in the experimental approach to athletics showed little interest in boosting performance.

▪

They show as little interest in their customers as do the worst government bureaucracies.

kid

▪

Me and this little kid of 12.

▪

Even that, the poor little kid didn't like.

▪

Will: For little kids it was better as a puppet show.

▪

A group of little kids were doing what is called the Carrot Dance, over by the groceries.

▪

The little kids seemed to like it.

▪

Oh yes, one of her sons has leukaemia, poor little kid , hasn't he?

▪

Last week, we got a little kid outfitted with glasses.

man

▪

The impatience of the genius with the follies of littler men gives thrust and venom to Swift's satirical output.

▪

It tickles me to see the little man so happy with him-self.

▪

The little man nodded his bald head, his eyes simple as a child's.

▪

A chubby little man in a short-sleeved sport shirt and baggy gray twill pants came out the door.

▪

In Cowley's opinion, the arrogant little man should be invited to leave the country in the very near future indeed.

▪

Before them stood a little man about the same size as the Munchkins.

▪

Before he could, the little man brought out a small laser pistol from a pouch at his belt.

▪

Walking in front of Converse was a little man called the Caporal who carried a Browning automatic rifle decorated with hibiscus.

room

▪

It was a dismal little room .

▪

I went back to my dark little room .

▪

The codes of governments and religions are usually quite explicit and allow little room for diversity or change.

▪

I went to my little room and did not turn on the light.

▪

She could see partly into the little room at the end of the main tunnel.

▪

There was another little room , the Quiet Room, plain concrete block walls without chairs or windows.

▪

Now this little room was subdivided into a dressing area and a cement-floored shower.

▪

The present world has little room for such quaint people.

sister

▪

There was a lot of deep feeling in his little sister , Joe thought, in spite of her gaiety and light-heartedness.

▪

Hold on a minute, little sister .

▪

She and Nick, and a few tough-looking boys, and an ugly girl with a squint who had two little sisters .

▪

Fifi and Carmencita watched while Mundin unwrapped the snake from around his neck and poked one end at his little sister .

▪

His little sister had sickened and died before her second birthday.

▪

His little sister gripped a shoot of fuchsia bougainvillea and wailed.

▪

She was very fond of her little sister , so pretty, so volatile, so amusing.

▪

We called my little sister Face because she had such a pretty one.

smile

▪

And Judge Lawrence Verney allowed himself a wry little smile .

▪

I gave in to that little smile .

▪

And Katie would give a smug little smile and then whisper about it half the night.

▪

It is just a little smile , and it fades fast.

▪

They only gazed back at us with eerie little smiles .

▪

A little smile , out of focus at the edge of my vision.

▪

Nicolo Sabatini permitted himself a little smile .

▪

I prompted, and he found my name and checked it off, turning to me with a cheering little smile .

thing

▪

It's an absurd little thing really and yet somehow or other it's important.

▪

They are little things that snowball against the weaker team until the contest becomes no contest.

▪

It was the little things that disturbed him.

▪

But there were frequent little things he did in speech that irritated me.

▪

Lots of little things have been suggested.

▪

He was so good in every department, they figured it would be easy for him to learn this one little thing .

▪

Inchbad was pleased to see Fenella, pretty little thing , approach them.

▪

Well now, one surely would have thought that for such little things those great big waves might have seemed threatening.

things

▪

It's the little things in life really.

▪

They are little things that snowball against the weaker team until the contest becomes no contest.

▪

The witness began to cry, and said they had a quilt and other little things .

▪

My husband continues to lie about little things , such as what he spent money on or where he had lunch.

▪

I cost him a lot in little things , but I know he wants me to ask for something big.

▪

Such little things , snow in July, are indelible.

▪

There were a lot of little things that I felt were wrong.

▪

We take the little things serious, and the big ones as a joke.

time

▪

So much remained to do, and he had so little time in which to do it.

▪

But Republicans and Democrats are wasting little time in maneuvering for political advantage.

▪

When I make the stake-out it takes too little time .

▪

Everywhere there is a hurry, and little time for dallying, or grieving.

▪

What he was asking her to do required a degree of trust that he had too little time to earn.

▪

Promoting literacy, then, will be Hass' calling for the next two years, leaving him little time to compose.

▪

Ironically, the sublime progress of Knight and Singh left little time for the real enforcers.

▪

Lamar Alexander, who spent little time in the state, got only 7 percent of the vote.

town

▪

This can be done by direct road, passing through a number of attractive little towns on the way.

▪

Coming from a little town like Westfield, we were all accepted.

▪

Le Palais, where the ferry docks, is an agreeable, unspoilt little town of ancient houses and cobbled squares.

▪

The little town crowns a low plateau just out of reach of the flood plain of the nearby Deerfield River.

▪

A mile or so north of Milford is the little town of Belper.

▪

Hard to believe, but Oro Valley was actually just a nice little town prior to becoming a sprawling, master-planned community.

▪

Take, for example, the attack on the little town of Gibeah in Judges 20.

▪

I was raised in upstate New York in a little town called Rome.

while

▪

I can't stay but a little while .

▪

Every now and then there are ledges I can rest on and even enjoy myself for a little while .

▪

A little while on my own.

▪

At least for a little while .

▪

Concentrating on Emma would help to keep her worries at bay for a little while .

▪

A little while after Castro came in.

▪

A little while later he gave his horses a rest, and returned to the spot they had refused to pass.

▪

He came down from Massachusetts for a little while and paid a call on Whitman in Brooklyn.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

at the (very) least

▪

But, at the very least , we want to be cut in on the deal.

▪

Each tier was held in place by tiny press studs which sprang apart at the least pressure.

▪

He threw noisy tantrums at the least provocation.

▪

I suppose I had expected anger, an outburst of violence, at the very least surprise and furious disbelief.

▪

I was sure, at the very least , that diet does had done thousands of women like me no good.

▪

Obviously, organic does signify better, or at the least an improvement, but the buyer must beware.

▪

People's lives could be at stake, or at the very least their futures.

▪

That there should be, at the least , periodic review.

(it's) no/small/little wonder (that)

a (proper) little madam

▪

She was madam , all right, a proper little madam.

a big fish in a little/small pond

a little bird told me (sth)

a little something

▪

Before that, and this should tell you a little something , it was not much more attractive for Stanford.

▪

Can yet give us a little something now, Morreen.

▪

Let me just tell you a little something !

▪

Mrs Fanning also stood up and said she could stand to leave behind a little something .

▪

Pawlowski knows a little something about horsepower.

▪

So I thought, a little push, a little shove, a little something extra to shake it loose.

▪

This time aliens stop by for a visit and leave a little something , um, behind.

▪

Well, I ate a little something in my room earlier.

a nice little earner

▪

Bethlehem will always be a nice little earner .

▪

However worthy his motives, the good doctor is on a nice little earner .

▪

It has become, let's face it, a nice little earner .

▪

Some of the nurses found it a nice little earner on top of their poor weekly pay.

▪

That would be a nice little earner for us.

▪

With an eye for a nice little earner , Del Trotter dictated his letter of application to chief sports writer Roy Collins.

at least

▪

At least fifty people were waiting in line.

▪

At least you should listen to his explanation.

▪

His name is Kevin. At least that's what he told me.

▪

His parents should at least go to his graduation.

▪

The food was terrible, but at least we had a nice view.

▪

The law has changed, at least as far as I know.

▪

Everyone on the Cardinals' roster should be here for at least part of the minicamp.

▪

For the time being, at least , the Falls was safe.

▪

It goes against calls from the London Chamber of Commerce which wants at least 1000 more free parking spaces for bikes.

▪

Lastly, they want to give tax advantages to causes deemed worthy, or at least popular.

▪

That would mean at least $ 7. 28 an hour in wages and benefits.

▪

There are at least four companies, perhaps five, that would like to start a 24-hour news channel.

▪

To all appearances, it kept a grip on at least 30 million Muslimsmore than the entire population of the Maghreb today.

▪

Unless I see at least a hint of contour, I assume a crotch has been padded.

be nothing less than sth

▪

Japan's economic recovery was seen as nothing less than a miracle.

▪

They way they treat their workers is nothing short of barbaric.

▪

But of course to Miss Hoity Toity Grenfell, it was nothing less than she expected.

▪

He come to the remarkable conclusion that Ardakke was nothing less than the setting for the next evolutionary step for mankind.

▪

In such context, between such gilt-lettered cloth-bound boards, the concession was nothing less than munificent.

▪

It is nothing less than an opportunity to save or change the world.

▪

Learn each week in 60 seconds why fashion is nothing less than a full-time job!

▪

Milosevic is nothing less than a traitor.

▪

The experience of being on Iona is nothing less than magical and I am moved to tears.

▪

The result, and the acceptance of it, is nothing less than an outrage.

black/elegant etc (little) number

good 'un/bad 'un/little 'un etc

in a world of your own/in your own little world

in less than no time

it's the least I can do

last but not least

▪

Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife for her support.

▪

Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new accountant.

▪

And last but not least, I thank Begona Canup for her interest in the book.

▪

Social Security has reduced poverty, and last , but by no means least, it has been a good deal for participants.

▪

And last but not least, the baby of the family.

▪

And last but not least, there are all those damn kids sharing files and scaring the media moguls shiftless.

▪

And, last but not least, its growth and production has a huge impact on the environment we live in.

▪

And, last but not least, my cousin Bishop Malduin of Kinrimund with, no doubt, his stepson Colban.

▪

And, last but not least, they might re-read the scores while listening.

least of all

▪

Dave doesn't take anything seriously, least of all himself.

▪

Nobody wants to stop you from following the career of your choice, least of all me.

▪

She told no one, least of all her husband, what she planned to do.

▪

James was no model of deportment anywhere, least of all in his marital and other personal relations.

▪

Life is no bed of roses for the new dealer, least of all if female and of a gullible disposition.

▪

No one thought it was a goal of mine, least of all me.

▪

Nobody, least of all the chancellor, one suspects, is banking on this.

▪

Not least of all, it is the San Diego neighborhood that many gays have long embraced as their own.

▪

They were not people who smiled much, least of all at children.

▪

This wasn't yet a case for the police, least of all for him.

▪

Truth is, no one has laughed at the inconsistent Campbell lately, least of all the Nets.

leave little/nothing to the imagination

▪

His creation left nothing to the imagination .

▪

Plastics - that here leave little to the imagination - were widely used in fashion.

less and less

▪

The fighting has become less and less frequent.

▪

They began spending less and less time with each other.

▪

As the war progressed, this position be-came less and less tenable and was eventually discarded.

▪

Changes over the course of 250 years meant that realities accorded less and less with formal appearances and official regulations.

▪

However, they are less and less willing either to hide or to lead lives of celibacy.

▪

It is merely that there is less and less justification for her position.

▪

It turned out not to be much-and, as it happened, he needed less and less as time went on.

▪

Now I seem to care less and less.

▪

She liked the mail-order concept, saying that working women have less and less time to shop at stores.

▪

Staff were separated less and less from pupils; they used the same library and the same resource centres.

less and less

▪

As the war progressed, this position be-came less and less tenable and was eventually discarded.

▪

Changes over the course of 250 years meant that realities accorded less and less with formal appearances and official regulations.

▪

However, they are less and less willing either to hide or to lead lives of celibacy.

▪

It is merely that there is less and less justification for her position.

▪

It turned out not to be much-and, as it happened, he needed less and less as time went on.

▪

Now I seem to care less and less.

▪

She liked the mail-order concept, saying that working women have less and less time to shop at stores.

▪

Staff were separated less and less from pupils; they used the same library and the same resource centres.

less of sth

less than helpful/honest/enthusiastic etc

▪

Although he did not reject a fact-finding mission outright, Major was clearly less than enthusiastic about the idea.

▪

But in the same interview Mr Dole, as is his way, was a little less than helpful to the president.

▪

But the way in which they are present may be less than helpful.

▪

In this dilemma, Eliot was less than helpful to his apologists.

▪

Not surprisingly, the reaction of local residents to the schemes was less than enthusiastic.

▪

The refugees are naturally less than enthusiastic about this.

▪

Those who had known him from that earlier period, however, were less than enthusiastic about his elevation.

lesser/ordinary/mere mortals

▪

A penchant for setting oneself apart and above mere mortals .

▪

And together we were emphatically co-operative that neighbouring forces were populated by lesser mortals .

▪

However, such models of the universe are not of much interest to us ordinary mortals .

▪

Lords, ladies, dukes and duchesses figure prominently among the names as well as more ordinary mortals of obviously substantial means.

▪

Miracles can be worked by Him alone, although mere mortals may entreat Him by prayer to perform them on their behalf.

▪

She held herself raised by her great prosperity above all that ordinary mortals fear and reverence.

▪

This increased exposure allows them to exploit their advantages over more ordinary mortals more easily than their predecessors could.

little horror

▪

And that little horror Zach was around.

little/old devil

▪

A true old devil , Manson vanishes in a puff of smoke.

▪

I really miss the old devil .

▪

Impotent old devils and dried-up hags always deride the efforts of the young.

▪

Indeed, I worship the little devil , but only as a travelling companion.

▪

Not that he's the worst of them, poor old devil .

▪

So much, thought Blanche, for flirting with the lascivious old devil .

▪

There was one old devil with red eyes.

little/young ones

▪

As Jack goes on hunting, the little ones look at him as an expert.

▪

Bowel frequency, for example, was little greater in the older patients than in the younger ones .

▪

Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!

▪

Helping with academic or social tasks, the older children develop a sense of responsibility for the younger ones in the building.

▪

Mr Preston had recently cleared out his old trees and planted new young ones .

▪

Older respondents tend to state their replies in honorifics; younger ones are less reverential.

▪

The older kids were at school and two of the women had taken the younger ones to the park.

▪

They were thinking of wives and little ones far away, and wondering if they would ever see them again.

more haste less speed

more or less

▪

"Did they have what you were looking for at the hardware store?" "Yes, more or less."

▪

There were 50 people there, more or less.

▪

This report says more or less the same thing as the previous one.

▪

What she says is more or less true.

▪

Alexei was a mining engineer in the Kuzbas, but he had more or less refashioned himself into a translator.

▪

And then I was using it more or less daily for years ....

▪

As things are, it's more or less useless.

▪

Lesbians, being women, were more or less ignored as in-consequential so long as they were quiet about their sexuality.

▪

Look also for R Centauri, a red Mira-type variable more or less between the Pointers.

▪

Some programs will let you set the size of the buffer to keep more or less text.

▪

The Trilogy helped create this new man of labor, who is more or less a paralegal.

▪

This time she saw pebbles laid out over the whole of the surface, more or less evenly spaced.

more than a little

▪

Educators, meanwhile, often view business with more than a little suspicion, distrust, and envy.

▪

Gordon was, he admitted, more than a little relieved.

▪

He was more than a little disappointed that his son was not athletic.

▪

It may be no more than a little park near work or a church that you stop by during lunch hour.

▪

Love: the word would be utterly meaningless in this context; no more than a little blast of sound.

▪

Many of these ideas depend more than a little on what you believe in.

▪

The ex-boyfriend is more than a little interested.

much less

▪

I doubt Clemson will even make the finals, much less win.

▪

Even Libertarians, who advocate much less government, are happy to accept public campaign money.

▪

Even today, most politicians rarely wear neckties, much less power suits.

▪

I will become much less easily tired ... much less easily fatigued ... much less easily discouraged ... much less easily depressed.

▪

In the end, the tax brought in much less revenue than originally forecast.

▪

Its development costs are not much less than the firm's total asset value.

▪

That had to ne injected daily, but her husband recalls the injections being much less frequent.

▪

The bill now goes to the Senate, where its fate is much less assured.

▪

Try dowsing without rods: it's much less cumbersome.

much/still less

▪

The average person is unlikely to pick up this type of book, much less read it.

▪

Equally, science would be much less advanced than it is if the only available data were intuitive estimates of quantities.

▪

Half a century earlier his behaviour would have seemed much more normal and aroused much less criticism.

▪

In the end, the tax brought in much less revenue than originally forecast.

▪

On the battlefield armament was still much less important than discipline and fighting spirit.

▪

She could not afford the bus fare to see a doctor, much less his fee.

▪

The grouping of other languages of the world-and even of their number-is much less clear.

▪

There is not much chance of finding a razor blade, much less using it in the appropriate way.

▪

There was to be no pause for reflection, nor - much less - for a changeover from military to civilian rule.

no less

▪

And if his comparison was contrived, it is no less valid for that.

▪

And now ... Ace's face was no less expressive.

▪

Housman's style is no less vulnerable to the distortions of the rhymed quatrain.

▪

It is no less barbaric than killing people on a street corner.

▪

One could remain in life, in the selfless performance of secular tasks, and arrive no less securely at the goal.

▪

This helped Airtours generate no less than £8m in interest alone during the year.

▪

Yet priorities are no less a matter of concern here than in other areas.

not least

▪

There are many factors which limit productivity; not least is employee education.

▪

Alex Ferguson will have loved this, not least because questions had started to be asked of his team and star names.

▪

And it annoyed her intensely, not least of all because she still felt a long way from figuring him out!

▪

And last but not least , the baby of the family.

▪

I didn't relish this: not least because it meant that I didn't break my silence until the cheese course.

▪

Like all good music it speaks of love, not least of the medium itself.

▪

Nevertheless it requires separate assessment, not least because it drew on certain areas of experience not directly dominated by the monarch.

not the least/not in the least/not the least bit

nothing less than sth

▪

The change in Bob's behavior has been nothing less than a miracle.

▪

He is aware that what he is involved in now is nothing less than Thatcherite self-help.

▪

It is nothing less than an opportunity to save or change the world.

▪

It is nothing less than national economic and social suicide.

▪

The result, and the acceptance of it, is nothing less than an outrage.

▪

There is nothing less than a cultural cover-up about depression in men.

▪

They had stumbled in upon what was quite clearly nothing less than a pagan sacrifice.

▪

This gave her hope, for it was nothing less than a re-birth that Maggie was aiming for.

of little/no/any etc consequence

▪

Choosing the gender of your baby is an individual decision of no consequence to anybody else.

▪

During the bad weather we experienced a few disasters and events, but they were of little consequence .

▪

It clearly ranks as the first written literature of any consequence .

▪

Neither country had other exports of any consequence .

▪

No signal can be received outside that range but this is of no consequence .

▪

They were of no consequence , I knew they were of no consequence.

of no/little account

▪

Gelbspan's speech was of no account .

▪

As she grew up, her father had been of no account to her.

▪

Charles Coffin continues: The cavalry of the Army of the Potomac had been of little account .

▪

Epictetus' magic wand can make poverty of no account .

▪

In a transforming instant, the est intellectual truth is seen to be that intellectual truth is of no account .

▪

It was of no account to Vinoba Bhave a Brahmin, whether the man before him was a Brahmin or an outcaste.

▪

There was a war on and such emotional family matters were really of no account .

▪

Yet this self-protective brand of public service was of no account to the Lordly Phantasms.

▪

You are a mere picture editor, a workman, whose views on editorial staff are of no account .

precious little/few

▪

There are precious few seats inside the court room.

▪

At the moment there is precious little.

▪

Eight voices then, and precious little else.

▪

Food shopping takes time, a commodity of which most of us have precious little.

▪

From which it follows that many will choose precious little attachment.

▪

I had no answers and precious little consolation to offer him to mitigate the facts.

▪

Once the polarization occurs, there is precious little Mrs Clinton can do about it.

▪

She had to find some other way to save Angel's precious little life, and find it quickly.

▪

There was precious little to learn.

sb couldn't care less

some little/few sth

sth has much/little/nothing to recommend it

▪

The hotel has little except price to recommend it.

▪

An alternative approach-optical fibre - has much to recommend it.

▪

As such, it has much to recommend it.

▪

But in terms of an effective solution the voting method has little to recommend it.

▪

In principle this format has much to recommend it, but in this case the practice has not been successful.

▪

It is plain that, in the long run, the gentle art of compromise has much to recommend it.

▪

Nevertheless, the principle of chisel ploughing has much to recommend it in the right conditions.

▪

Such a way of proceeding has much to recommend it, but scant progress has been made in that direction.

▪

This cooperative family decision-making has much to recommend it.

the least

▪

$10,000 is the least we'll need to repair the roof.

▪

£20,000 is the least we could accept for a car of this type.

▪

After trials, we chose the engine that used the least fuel.

▪

Find a route that is likely to have the least traffic.

▪

I was the youngest, so I always got the least pocket money.

▪

Of all the EU countries, Britain spends the least on higher education.

▪

The least anyone around here works is about 50 hours per week.

▪

Those who have been in the most danger have the least to say about it.

▪

We've selected recipes that take the least time to prepare.

▪

We decided to buy the one that cost the least .

▪

We thought this decision would produce the least harm and disruption to residents.

▪

Which jacket costs the least ?

▪

Even the least likely candidate for a career in dance knew that Truitte was available after class for talk about the field.

▪

I learned that there were thousands of men pursuing my sisters, who seemed not the least bit concerned.

▪

If this happens to you, simply cut the least important information.

▪

It was the least likely millionaire's spare-room imaginable.

▪

Money was the least volatile commodity traded by Salomon Brothers and therefore the least risky.

▪

The northernmost zone has the least continuous plant cover, the most patterned ground exposed, and the narrowest range of communities.

▪

The white washed walls and bright lighting, however, make this one of the least atmospheric mausoleums you could imagine.

▪

This was to be our first meeting since the threat of further surgery or at the least , drugs.

the least of sb's worries/problems/troubles/concerns

▪

For not the least of Henry's problems was how to raise the money required for the accomplishment of such an undertaking.

▪

Greatly increased taxes and a major shift back to defence expenditure could be the least of our worries.

▪

Not the least of its problems was extreme alienation between labor and management.

▪

That was the least of her troubles.

▪

The death under somewhat dubious circumstances of a racehorse belonging to his son was frankly the least of his problems.

the line/path of least resistance

▪

If you take the line of least resistance or fail to be consistent, you will actually make things worse.

▪

Political will in such situations is a low explosive, blasting along the lines of least resistance .

▪

Pretty soon, the water, which follows the path of least resistance , has its own plan for your driveway.

▪

The priesthood built itself and if we help it along we are only following the line of least resistance .

▪

Usually he just takes the line of least resistance .

▪

When it constructs its tunnel underground the rabbit, naturally enough, takes the line of least resistance .

the little people

the little/small matter of sth

▪

But first there's the small matter of a semi-final clash that has split the household down the middle.

▪

His manifesto, of course, concerns the small matter of his life.

▪

On a good day, the building would be almost entirely rented-apart from the small matter of signing the contract.

▪

Then there was the small matter of my physical fitness.

▪

There's also the little matter of thirty-three shroud lines loops!

▪

There remains, as ever, the little matter of finance.

▪

This operation was tricky because there was the little matter of taking off my trousers and putting on my shorts.

▪

What about the small matter of the rest of the season?

the more ..., the more/the less ...

the more ..., the more/the less ...

there is little/nothing to choose between sth

▪

Both make-ups can be available at the same time and, so far as value goes, there is nothing to choose between them.

▪

But there is little to choose between the two in terms of overall performance.

to say the least

▪

Mrs. Russel was upset, to say the least .

▪

These maps are difficult to understand, to say the least .

▪

As captain and opening bat, he's an important member of the side, to say the least .

▪

Cartoonish, to say the least .

▪

It is a bizarre setting, to say the least , where the boredom and indifference can be measured in metric tons.

▪

The lamps look, to say the least , unreliable.

▪

The outlook for their national teams is, to say the least , uncertain.

▪

The results of these experiments were, to say the least , puzzling to the researchers.

▪

There would be a bit of confusion, to say the least .

▪

Try as she might, her working relationship with Stephanie Marsa was strained to say the least .

to say the least

▪

As captain and opening bat, he's an important member of the side, to say the least.

▪

Cartoonish, to say the least.

▪

It is a bizarre setting, to say the least, where the boredom and indifference can be measured in metric tons.

▪

The lamps look, to say the least, unreliable.

▪

The outlook for their national teams is, to say the least, uncertain.

▪

The results of these experiments were, to say the least, puzzling to the researchers.

▪

There would be a bit of confusion, to say the least.

▪

Try as she might, her working relationship with Stephanie Marsa was strained to say the least.

too little, too late

▪

A 3 percent funding increase is too little, too late to save the tutoring program.

twist/wrap/wind sb around your little finger

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

▪

a little farm on the hill

▪

a little laugh

▪

a little nap

▪

a cute little puppy

▪

a nice little house

▪

a poor little bird

▪

Alice gets angry over little things.

▪

He had climbed a little way up the tree and gotten scared.

▪

I haven't seen one of those since I was a little girl.

▪

I loved playing with blocks when I was little .

▪

It's just a little souvenir I brought back from Italy

▪

Oh, the poor little thing, he's hurt his paw.

▪

There's just that little matter of the $5000 you owe me.

▪

There were three bridesmaids at the wedding, and even the little one behaved beautifully.

▪

They've been married for ten years and have two little girls.

▪

They bought a nice little house near the beach.

▪

Todd's stupid little jokes

▪

We saw a little old lady with a walking-stick.

▪

What a lovely little dog!

▪

What an annoying little boy!

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

▪

Delicate little Louise, requiring round-the-clock, year-long, life-long protection.

▪

Her little boy was Johnny, seven years old, dark-eyed and sweet.

▪

On the jetty near the little lighthouse is a remarkably good restaurant.

▪

She was only about seventeen, with the most beautiful little face I had ever seen.

▪

So this little one is a surprise.

▪

The little Hoflin, who had her speciality showpiece in Act Two, did it very badly and finally tripped and fell.

▪

Where the Aztecs are is just a little short.

II. determiner

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

at the (very) least

▪

But, at the very least , we want to be cut in on the deal.

▪

Each tier was held in place by tiny press studs which sprang apart at the least pressure.

▪

He threw noisy tantrums at the least provocation.

▪

I suppose I had expected anger, an outburst of violence, at the very least surprise and furious disbelief.

▪

I was sure, at the very least , that diet does had done thousands of women like me no good.

▪

Obviously, organic does signify better, or at the least an improvement, but the buyer must beware.

▪

People's lives could be at stake, or at the very least their futures.

▪

That there should be, at the least , periodic review.

(it's) no/small/little wonder (that)

a (proper) little madam

▪

She was madam , all right, a proper little madam.

a big fish in a little/small pond

a little bird told me (sth)

a little something

▪

Before that, and this should tell you a little something , it was not much more attractive for Stanford.

▪

Can yet give us a little something now, Morreen.

▪

Let me just tell you a little something !

▪

Mrs Fanning also stood up and said she could stand to leave behind a little something .

▪

Pawlowski knows a little something about horsepower.

▪

So I thought, a little push, a little shove, a little something extra to shake it loose.

▪

This time aliens stop by for a visit and leave a little something , um, behind.

▪

Well, I ate a little something in my room earlier.

a nice little earner

▪

Bethlehem will always be a nice little earner .

▪

However worthy his motives, the good doctor is on a nice little earner .

▪

It has become, let's face it, a nice little earner .

▪

Some of the nurses found it a nice little earner on top of their poor weekly pay.

▪

That would be a nice little earner for us.

▪

With an eye for a nice little earner , Del Trotter dictated his letter of application to chief sports writer Roy Collins.

at least

▪

At least fifty people were waiting in line.

▪

At least you should listen to his explanation.

▪

His name is Kevin. At least that's what he told me.

▪

His parents should at least go to his graduation.

▪

The food was terrible, but at least we had a nice view.

▪

The law has changed, at least as far as I know.

▪

Everyone on the Cardinals' roster should be here for at least part of the minicamp.

▪

For the time being, at least , the Falls was safe.

▪

It goes against calls from the London Chamber of Commerce which wants at least 1000 more free parking spaces for bikes.

▪

Lastly, they want to give tax advantages to causes deemed worthy, or at least popular.

▪

That would mean at least $ 7. 28 an hour in wages and benefits.

▪

There are at least four companies, perhaps five, that would like to start a 24-hour news channel.

▪

To all appearances, it kept a grip on at least 30 million Muslimsmore than the entire population of the Maghreb today.

▪

Unless I see at least a hint of contour, I assume a crotch has been padded.

be nothing less than sth

▪

Japan's economic recovery was seen as nothing less than a miracle.

▪

They way they treat their workers is nothing short of barbaric.

▪

But of course to Miss Hoity Toity Grenfell, it was nothing less than she expected.

▪

He come to the remarkable conclusion that Ardakke was nothing less than the setting for the next evolutionary step for mankind.

▪

In such context, between such gilt-lettered cloth-bound boards, the concession was nothing less than munificent.

▪

It is nothing less than an opportunity to save or change the world.

▪

Learn each week in 60 seconds why fashion is nothing less than a full-time job!

▪

Milosevic is nothing less than a traitor.

▪

The experience of being on Iona is nothing less than magical and I am moved to tears.

▪

The result, and the acceptance of it, is nothing less than an outrage.

be nothing/little short of sth

▪

First, I would strongly advise other CEOs to follow our experience because the results stood to be nothing short of spectacular.

▪

It is little short of tragic that she has been cut off, while still at the peak of her singing power.

▪

The 18 tracks of the new record are so dizzyingly dexterous, the live show should be nothing short of amazing.

▪

The city hopes to attract around 3.5 million visitors annually, but last year's figures were little short of disastrous.

▪

The quality of sound via these outputs is nothing short of amazing.

▪

The result is nothing short of brilliant and has met with raves in all the glossy industry mags.

▪

This is nothing short of a scandal.

▪

What they envision is nothing short of a new corporate structure, in which accounting and other functions are outsourced.

black/elegant etc (little) number

funny little sth

good 'un/bad 'un/little 'un etc

have/hold sth in your hot little hand

in a world of your own/in your own little world

in less than no time

it's (a little/bit) late in the day (to do sth)

it's the least I can do

last but not least

▪

Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife for her support.

▪

Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new accountant.

▪

And last but not least, I thank Begona Canup for her interest in the book.

▪

Social Security has reduced poverty, and last , but by no means least, it has been a good deal for participants.

▪

And last but not least, the baby of the family.

▪

And last but not least, there are all those damn kids sharing files and scaring the media moguls shiftless.

▪

And, last but not least, its growth and production has a huge impact on the environment we live in.

▪

And, last but not least, my cousin Bishop Malduin of Kinrimund with, no doubt, his stepson Colban.

▪

And, last but not least, they might re-read the scores while listening.

least of all

▪

Dave doesn't take anything seriously, least of all himself.

▪

Nobody wants to stop you from following the career of your choice, least of all me.

▪

She told no one, least of all her husband, what she planned to do.

▪

James was no model of deportment anywhere, least of all in his marital and other personal relations.

▪

Life is no bed of roses for the new dealer, least of all if female and of a gullible disposition.

▪

No one thought it was a goal of mine, least of all me.

▪

Nobody, least of all the chancellor, one suspects, is banking on this.

▪

Not least of all, it is the San Diego neighborhood that many gays have long embraced as their own.

▪

They were not people who smiled much, least of all at children.

▪

This wasn't yet a case for the police, least of all for him.

▪

Truth is, no one has laughed at the inconsistent Campbell lately, least of all the Nets.

leave little/nothing to the imagination

▪

His creation left nothing to the imagination .

▪

Plastics - that here leave little to the imagination - were widely used in fashion.

less and less

▪

The fighting has become less and less frequent.

▪

They began spending less and less time with each other.

▪

As the war progressed, this position be-came less and less tenable and was eventually discarded.

▪

Changes over the course of 250 years meant that realities accorded less and less with formal appearances and official regulations.

▪

However, they are less and less willing either to hide or to lead lives of celibacy.

▪

It is merely that there is less and less justification for her position.

▪

It turned out not to be much-and, as it happened, he needed less and less as time went on.

▪

Now I seem to care less and less.

▪

She liked the mail-order concept, saying that working women have less and less time to shop at stores.

▪

Staff were separated less and less from pupils; they used the same library and the same resource centres.

less and less

▪

As the war progressed, this position be-came less and less tenable and was eventually discarded.

▪

Changes over the course of 250 years meant that realities accorded less and less with formal appearances and official regulations.

▪

However, they are less and less willing either to hide or to lead lives of celibacy.

▪

It is merely that there is less and less justification for her position.

▪

It turned out not to be much-and, as it happened, he needed less and less as time went on.

▪

Now I seem to care less and less.

▪

She liked the mail-order concept, saying that working women have less and less time to shop at stores.

▪

Staff were separated less and less from pupils; they used the same library and the same resource centres.

less of sth

less than helpful/honest/enthusiastic etc

▪

Although he did not reject a fact-finding mission outright, Major was clearly less than enthusiastic about the idea.

▪

But in the same interview Mr Dole, as is his way, was a little less than helpful to the president.

▪

But the way in which they are present may be less than helpful.

▪

In this dilemma, Eliot was less than helpful to his apologists.

▪

Not surprisingly, the reaction of local residents to the schemes was less than enthusiastic.

▪

The refugees are naturally less than enthusiastic about this.

▪

Those who had known him from that earlier period, however, were less than enthusiastic about his elevation.

lesser/ordinary/mere mortals

▪

A penchant for setting oneself apart and above mere mortals .

▪

And together we were emphatically co-operative that neighbouring forces were populated by lesser mortals .

▪

However, such models of the universe are not of much interest to us ordinary mortals .

▪

Lords, ladies, dukes and duchesses figure prominently among the names as well as more ordinary mortals of obviously substantial means.

▪

Miracles can be worked by Him alone, although mere mortals may entreat Him by prayer to perform them on their behalf.

▪

She held herself raised by her great prosperity above all that ordinary mortals fear and reverence.

▪

This increased exposure allows them to exploit their advantages over more ordinary mortals more easily than their predecessors could.

little horror

▪

And that little horror Zach was around.

little/old devil

▪

A true old devil , Manson vanishes in a puff of smoke.

▪

I really miss the old devil .

▪

Impotent old devils and dried-up hags always deride the efforts of the young.

▪

Indeed, I worship the little devil , but only as a travelling companion.

▪

Not that he's the worst of them, poor old devil .

▪

So much, thought Blanche, for flirting with the lascivious old devil .

▪

There was one old devil with red eyes.

little/young ones

▪

As Jack goes on hunting, the little ones look at him as an expert.

▪

Bowel frequency, for example, was little greater in the older patients than in the younger ones .

▪

Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!

▪

Helping with academic or social tasks, the older children develop a sense of responsibility for the younger ones in the building.

▪

Mr Preston had recently cleared out his old trees and planted new young ones .

▪

Older respondents tend to state their replies in honorifics; younger ones are less reverential.

▪

The older kids were at school and two of the women had taken the younger ones to the park.

▪

They were thinking of wives and little ones far away, and wondering if they would ever see them again.

more haste less speed

more or less

▪

"Did they have what you were looking for at the hardware store?" "Yes, more or less."

▪

There were 50 people there, more or less.

▪

This report says more or less the same thing as the previous one.

▪

What she says is more or less true.

▪

Alexei was a mining engineer in the Kuzbas, but he had more or less refashioned himself into a translator.

▪

And then I was using it more or less daily for years ....

▪

As things are, it's more or less useless.

▪

Lesbians, being women, were more or less ignored as in-consequential so long as they were quiet about their sexuality.

▪

Look also for R Centauri, a red Mira-type variable more or less between the Pointers.

▪

Some programs will let you set the size of the buffer to keep more or less text.

▪

The Trilogy helped create this new man of labor, who is more or less a paralegal.

▪

This time she saw pebbles laid out over the whole of the surface, more or less evenly spaced.

more than a little

▪

Educators, meanwhile, often view business with more than a little suspicion, distrust, and envy.

▪

Gordon was, he admitted, more than a little relieved.

▪

He was more than a little disappointed that his son was not athletic.

▪

It may be no more than a little park near work or a church that you stop by during lunch hour.

▪

Love: the word would be utterly meaningless in this context; no more than a little blast of sound.

▪

Many of these ideas depend more than a little on what you believe in.

▪

The ex-boyfriend is more than a little interested.

much less

▪

I doubt Clemson will even make the finals, much less win.

▪

Even Libertarians, who advocate much less government, are happy to accept public campaign money.

▪

Even today, most politicians rarely wear neckties, much less power suits.

▪

I will become much less easily tired ... much less easily fatigued ... much less easily discouraged ... much less easily depressed.

▪

In the end, the tax brought in much less revenue than originally forecast.

▪

Its development costs are not much less than the firm's total asset value.

▪

That had to ne injected daily, but her husband recalls the injections being much less frequent.

▪

The bill now goes to the Senate, where its fate is much less assured.

▪

Try dowsing without rods: it's much less cumbersome.

much/still less

▪

The average person is unlikely to pick up this type of book, much less read it.

▪

Equally, science would be much less advanced than it is if the only available data were intuitive estimates of quantities.

▪

Half a century earlier his behaviour would have seemed much more normal and aroused much less criticism.

▪

In the end, the tax brought in much less revenue than originally forecast.

▪

On the battlefield armament was still much less important than discipline and fighting spirit.

▪

She could not afford the bus fare to see a doctor, much less his fee.

▪

The grouping of other languages of the world-and even of their number-is much less clear.

▪

There is not much chance of finding a razor blade, much less using it in the appropriate way.

▪

There was to be no pause for reflection, nor - much less - for a changeover from military to civilian rule.

no less

▪

And if his comparison was contrived, it is no less valid for that.

▪

And now ... Ace's face was no less expressive.

▪

Housman's style is no less vulnerable to the distortions of the rhymed quatrain.

▪

It is no less barbaric than killing people on a street corner.

▪

One could remain in life, in the selfless performance of secular tasks, and arrive no less securely at the goal.

▪

This helped Airtours generate no less than £8m in interest alone during the year.

▪

Yet priorities are no less a matter of concern here than in other areas.

not least

▪

There are many factors which limit productivity; not least is employee education.

▪

Alex Ferguson will have loved this, not least because questions had started to be asked of his team and star names.

▪

And it annoyed her intensely, not least of all because she still felt a long way from figuring him out!

▪

And last but not least , the baby of the family.

▪

I didn't relish this: not least because it meant that I didn't break my silence until the cheese course.

▪

Like all good music it speaks of love, not least of the medium itself.

▪

Nevertheless it requires separate assessment, not least because it drew on certain areas of experience not directly dominated by the monarch.

not the least/not in the least/not the least bit

nothing less than sth

▪

The change in Bob's behavior has been nothing less than a miracle.

▪

He is aware that what he is involved in now is nothing less than Thatcherite self-help.

▪

It is nothing less than an opportunity to save or change the world.

▪

It is nothing less than national economic and social suicide.

▪

The result, and the acceptance of it, is nothing less than an outrage.

▪

There is nothing less than a cultural cover-up about depression in men.

▪

They had stumbled in upon what was quite clearly nothing less than a pagan sacrifice.

▪

This gave her hope, for it was nothing less than a re-birth that Maggie was aiming for.

of little/no/any etc consequence

▪

Choosing the gender of your baby is an individual decision of no consequence to anybody else.

▪

During the bad weather we experienced a few disasters and events, but they were of little consequence .

▪

It clearly ranks as the first written literature of any consequence .

▪

Neither country had other exports of any consequence .

▪

No signal can be received outside that range but this is of no consequence .

▪

They were of no consequence , I knew they were of no consequence.

of no/little account

▪

Gelbspan's speech was of no account .

▪

As she grew up, her father had been of no account to her.

▪

Charles Coffin continues: The cavalry of the Army of the Potomac had been of little account .

▪

Epictetus' magic wand can make poverty of no account .

▪

In a transforming instant, the est intellectual truth is seen to be that intellectual truth is of no account .

▪

It was of no account to Vinoba Bhave a Brahmin, whether the man before him was a Brahmin or an outcaste.

▪

There was a war on and such emotional family matters were really of no account .

▪

Yet this self-protective brand of public service was of no account to the Lordly Phantasms.

▪

You are a mere picture editor, a workman, whose views on editorial staff are of no account .

precious little/few

▪

There are precious few seats inside the court room.

▪

At the moment there is precious little.

▪

Eight voices then, and precious little else.

▪

Food shopping takes time, a commodity of which most of us have precious little.

▪

From which it follows that many will choose precious little attachment.

▪

I had no answers and precious little consolation to offer him to mitigate the facts.

▪

Once the polarization occurs, there is precious little Mrs Clinton can do about it.

▪

She had to find some other way to save Angel's precious little life, and find it quickly.

▪

There was precious little to learn.

sb couldn't care less

some little/few sth

sth has much/little/nothing to recommend it

▪

The hotel has little except price to recommend it.

▪

An alternative approach-optical fibre - has much to recommend it.

▪

As such, it has much to recommend it.

▪

But in terms of an effective solution the voting method has little to recommend it.

▪

In principle this format has much to recommend it, but in this case the practice has not been successful.

▪

It is plain that, in the long run, the gentle art of compromise has much to recommend it.

▪

Nevertheless, the principle of chisel ploughing has much to recommend it in the right conditions.

▪

Such a way of proceeding has much to recommend it, but scant progress has been made in that direction.

▪

This cooperative family decision-making has much to recommend it.

the least

▪

$10,000 is the least we'll need to repair the roof.

▪

£20,000 is the least we could accept for a car of this type.

▪

After trials, we chose the engine that used the least fuel.

▪

Find a route that is likely to have the least traffic.

▪

I was the youngest, so I always got the least pocket money.

▪

Of all the EU countries, Britain spends the least on higher education.

▪

The least anyone around here works is about 50 hours per week.

▪

Those who have been in the most danger have the least to say about it.

▪

We've selected recipes that take the least time to prepare.

▪

We decided to buy the one that cost the least .

▪

We thought this decision would produce the least harm and disruption to residents.

▪

Which jacket costs the least ?

▪

Even the least likely candidate for a career in dance knew that Truitte was available after class for talk about the field.

▪

I learned that there were thousands of men pursuing my sisters, who seemed not the least bit concerned.

▪

If this happens to you, simply cut the least important information.

▪

It was the least likely millionaire's spare-room imaginable.

▪

Money was the least volatile commodity traded by Salomon Brothers and therefore the least risky.

▪

The northernmost zone has the least continuous plant cover, the most patterned ground exposed, and the narrowest range of communities.

▪

The white washed walls and bright lighting, however, make this one of the least atmospheric mausoleums you could imagine.

▪

This was to be our first meeting since the threat of further surgery or at the least , drugs.

the least of sb's worries/problems/troubles/concerns

▪

For not the least of Henry's problems was how to raise the money required for the accomplishment of such an undertaking.

▪

Greatly increased taxes and a major shift back to defence expenditure could be the least of our worries.

▪

Not the least of its problems was extreme alienation between labor and management.

▪

That was the least of her troubles.

▪

The death under somewhat dubious circumstances of a racehorse belonging to his son was frankly the least of his problems.

the less fortunate

▪

The organization is collecting canned food to help the less fortunate .

▪

Another case of hard-hearted capitalists pushing aside the less fortunate to enhance their investments?

▪

He devoted his time to prayer and aiding the less fortunate .

▪

His capacity to persuade people to pay attention to the plight of the less fortunate was constant.

▪

In the wider world we examine the great differences between countries like our own and the less fortunate poor world.

▪

It should be spending them on the less fortunate .

▪

Phoenix officials often talk of the helping hand they give to the less fortunate .

▪

The proposals include a comprehensive programme of security and protection for all those engaged in helping the less fortunate .

the lesser evil

▪

Celibacy is, at best, the lesser evil; by no means is it regarded as a panacea.

▪

If it comes to the crunch, going in would seem to me the lesser evil.

the lesser of two evils

▪

At least they chose the lesser of two evils, but even so Tank managed to create havoc.

▪

Mansfield saw the difficulty in reconciling the two principles, but thought that certainty was the lesser of two evils.

▪

So people go to the polls convinced their only choice is the lesser of two evils.

▪

They regarded the ditching of a widely respected Chancellor, in somewhat undignified circumstances, as the lesser of two evils.

▪

While not particularly welcome, the black knight is considered the lesser of two evils.

the line/path of least resistance

▪

If you take the line of least resistance or fail to be consistent, you will actually make things worse.

▪

Political will in such situations is a low explosive, blasting along the lines of least resistance .

▪

Pretty soon, the water, which follows the path of least resistance , has its own plan for your driveway.

▪

The priesthood built itself and if we help it along we are only following the line of least resistance .

▪

Usually he just takes the line of least resistance .

▪

When it constructs its tunnel underground the rabbit, naturally enough, takes the line of least resistance .

the little people

the little/small matter of sth

▪

But first there's the small matter of a semi-final clash that has split the household down the middle.

▪

His manifesto, of course, concerns the small matter of his life.

▪

On a good day, the building would be almost entirely rented-apart from the small matter of signing the contract.

▪

Then there was the small matter of my physical fitness.

▪

There's also the little matter of thirty-three shroud lines loops!

▪

There remains, as ever, the little matter of finance.

▪

This operation was tricky because there was the little matter of taking off my trousers and putting on my shorts.

▪

What about the small matter of the rest of the season?

the more ..., the more/the less ...

the more ..., the more/the less ...

there is little/nothing to choose between sth

▪

Both make-ups can be available at the same time and, so far as value goes, there is nothing to choose between them.

▪

But there is little to choose between the two in terms of overall performance.

to a greater or lesser extent

▪

All of us, to a greater or lesser extent, have been doing this all our lives.

▪

All polite exchanges are conventional to a greater or lesser extent.

▪

All societies differentiate and, to a greater or lesser extent, allocate unequal rewards on the basis of age.

▪

Both historians proceed to a greater or lesser extent by way of discussion of great photographers.

▪

Different professional institutions may define to a greater or lesser extent the modes and their mix.

▪

In these cases A is to a greater or lesser extent unclear, ambiguous.

▪

They also, to a greater or lesser extent, existed outside mainstream, predominantly male controlled, hierarchical structures.

▪

With every formal organisation there exists, to a greater or lesser extent, a complex informal organisation.

to say the least

▪

Mrs. Russel was upset, to say the least .

▪

These maps are difficult to understand, to say the least .

▪

As captain and opening bat, he's an important member of the side, to say the least .

▪

Cartoonish, to say the least .

▪

It is a bizarre setting, to say the least , where the boredom and indifference can be measured in metric tons.

▪

The lamps look, to say the least , unreliable.

▪

The outlook for their national teams is, to say the least , uncertain.

▪

The results of these experiments were, to say the least , puzzling to the researchers.

▪

There would be a bit of confusion, to say the least .

▪

Try as she might, her working relationship with Stephanie Marsa was strained to say the least .

to say the least

▪

As captain and opening bat, he's an important member of the side, to say the least.

▪

Cartoonish, to say the least.

▪

It is a bizarre setting, to say the least, where the boredom and indifference can be measured in metric tons.

▪

The lamps look, to say the least, unreliable.

▪

The outlook for their national teams is, to say the least, uncertain.

▪

The results of these experiments were, to say the least, puzzling to the researchers.

▪

There would be a bit of confusion, to say the least.

▪

Try as she might, her working relationship with Stephanie Marsa was strained to say the least.

too little, too late

▪

A 3 percent funding increase is too little, too late to save the tutoring program.

twist/wrap/wind sb around your little finger

well-known/little-known/lesser-known

III. adverb

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADJECTIVE

different

▪

It appears that for acute health problems older people are little different , in terms of prevalence, from younger age groups.

▪

In fact, the gene-altered products often seem little different from ordinary varieties when lined up on store shelves.

▪

The provincial groups with papers in two or three towns were little different from the other independents.

▪

The outcome this time was little different .

▪

Finances at the end of 1913 were little different from 1912.

▪

For many residents of the oil fields, Pemex executives seem little different from the foreign overlords they replaced.

▪

This was little different from the responses provided by younger age groups.

▪

General Zionists favored a free-market democracy, little different from London or New York.

direct

▪

But there is little direct connection.

▪

Outdoors Wisconsin clearly has little direct effect on anyone but the suckers.

▪

There was, until recently, little direct information on the requirements of the textile industry.

▪

There was little direct discussion of the reengineering effort except as a trigger for the explosion.

▪

The public hospitals are managed by the states, and the federal government has very little direct say in them.

▪

Mechanisation itself has, apart from the habitat changes it has induced, had little direct effect on birds in Sussex.

▪

With the Sun Icing himself he had little direct relationship.

▪

There is little direct connection, because many early ecologists were not interested in evolution.

good

▪

This method of analysis does not always work, and sometimes interpretation of such sites is little better than guesswork.

▪

By that time it did me little good .

▪

In comparison, she herself would look little better than a sack of potatoes on horseback.

▪

At times the road is little better than a forestry track.

▪

Professional footballers fared little better than cricketers and were less likely to be able to pursue their occupation for as long.

▪

Separating sheep from goats within a school was little better than separating them into different schools.

▪

The seed was defective and the resulting crop was little better than useless.

▪

This seems to explain the early prints showing people travelling in what were little better than cattle trucks.

real

▪

As a result, little real automation is taking place.

▪

They have little real batting strength and their pitching is almost nil.

▪

Indeed, even in 1991 there is little real evidence of such planning by governments and industry.

▪

He points to cultures, such as Samoa, where Margaret Mead found that there was little real adolescence.

▪

An upper house was created, but its powers were limited, and the President had little real power.

▪

Existing smaller powers that were supposedly independent had little real power.

▪

The election produced little real change in the relative strength of the other three main parties.

▪

Murder and crowd violence there was, although we have little real information about it.

short

▪

It is little short of tragic that she has been cut off, while still at the peak of her singing power.

▪

The city hopes to attract around 3.5 million visitors annually, but last year's figures were little short of disastrous.

▪

The choice of organised leisure pursuits is little short of staggering.

▪

Yet in recent weeks the atmosphere at the ministry's forest-products division has been little short of electric.

▪

After all the speculation about the possible disagreements between them, their encounter has been little short of anodyne.

▪

But assisting her investigations into a perfectly natural death as if it were murder was little short of lunacy.

▪

It is little short of a national disgrace that allocations are still being made using such a crude approach.

▪

To get in on a scholarship means passing little short of brilliantly.

well

▪

This method of analysis does not always work, and sometimes interpretation of such sites is little better than guesswork.

▪

At times the road is little better than a forestry track.

▪

Professional footballers fared little better than cricketers and were less likely to be able to pursue their occupation for as long.

▪

Separating sheep from goats within a school was little better than separating them into different schools.

▪

The seed was defective and the resulting crop was little better than useless.

▪

This seems to explain the early prints showing people travelling in what were little better than cattle trucks.

▪

A fox liked its lair - and this place was little better .

▪

Showing the insignia of Neutral deities cuts no ice with Thadeus - such gods are little better than the Proscribed Ones.

■ VERB

achieve

▪

Later that day she had been forced to catnap at her desk, having achieved little else of consequence there.

▪

It happens with only a handful of Members in their places and achieves little , if any, coverage by the media.

▪

He achieved little in his work and dissipated much of his time in an uncongenial student fraternity.

▪

Without their support and the ideas from the area the Teams can achieve little .

▪

The president's unilateral reforms will achieve little if he does not talk to blacks.

▪

Thus, in the key area of economic policy, despite an occasional victory, Carter achieved little .

▪

He has achieved little since November besides getting to know the gadgets in the presidential motor cars.

▪

Payment could be enforced only by the courts, and would achieve little when poor husbands could not afford to pay.

change

▪

And it's changed little over the centuries.

▪

Sterling was little changed against the deutsche mark at 2. 2323 marks compared with 2. 2324 at the previous close.

▪

This maldistribution of income had changed little by 1900.

▪

In other respects the book has changed little and there is no attempt to deal with organic synthesis in its own right.

▪

Motorola was little changed in active trading.

▪

Salisbury Plain had changed little since Blake's day.

▪

We lay under arms all day and made but little change in our position.

know

▪

They knew little about computers and had bought the discs from another counterfeiter who's yet to be caught.

▪

One of the great truths of Washington life little known by the folks back home is the power of congressional staff members.

▪

Lloyd George was not a person who knew little about clergymen.

▪

She had lived in Darrowby for several years but the townsfolk knew little about her.

▪

She little knowing that the man she holds in her arms!

▪

Our Czech hosts knew little about it, save that the approach was long and the descent intricate.

▪

He really knew little about Jamila.

matter

▪

It matters little that consumers are still cautious.

▪

On Andean haciendas, it matters little to the man who tills the land whether the product increases.

▪

He didn't often actually handle a painting, but that mattered little to him.

▪

It matters little , the loss is mine.

▪

That the subject was in fact normally accorded Cinderella status mattered little to the many who objected to its being there at all.

▪

To neo-Keynesians it matters little what local authorities spend on revenue account.

▪

What might happen when eventually they arrived at Wrens' Quarters, Ardneavie, mattered little .

▪

In this instance it mattered little .

mean

▪

But since the mare has won five of her last six races, that probably means little to trainer Mary Reveley.

▪

But in truth they mean little .

▪

For political freedom will mean little it if is not underpinned by economic freedom as well.

▪

The average figure means little in this case, however.

▪

But it means little now, for the mountain is in motion, and slide it must.

▪

But, of course, such slight diagnostic indications mean little unless a theory is to hand which can explain their crucial importance.

▪

Probably life without Laura meant little to him anyway.

seem

▪

He made friends easily and after his wife died there seemed little to keep him tied to his home area.

▪

In fact, the gene-altered products often seem little different from ordinary varieties when lined up on store shelves.

▪

With no room for a fiscal stimulus in most countries, there seems little they can do to boost output and jobs.

▪

For many residents of the oil fields, Pemex executives seem little different from the foreign overlords they replaced.

▪

And finally, there are the ones that seem little more than a cue for a really good cackle.

▪

But the idea of true integration - that is, a normal university post - new seems little more than a pipedream.

▪

And victory never looked in doubt as he dominated throughout, making the fences seem little more than matchsticks.

▪

What it brings back seems little , in terms of hope at least.

show

▪

The frescoes allow more scope, but even they show little more than one event at a time.

▪

Official records show little except the names of Sterling Trust's directors.

▪

He still showed little emotional reaction though he was evidently angry with himself for letting his natural arrogance be so easily quashed.

▪

Many attempts to evaluate its effectiveness have shown little or no benefit, possibly due to methodological problems.

▪

The West had shown little liking for this.

▪

For lack of space these have previously been little shown to the public.

▪

Both turbine options were in close formation in the static at Farnborough and a superficial look would show little between them.

understand

▪

The reason, quite simply, is that pruning is little understood - again that word why.

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

▪

The pattern of life here has changed little since I was a boy.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

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Harrison felt little inclined to confide in Berthoud.

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The 4. 3 cents were little noticed when they were added, and will be little noticed if removed.