I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a big/large/wide/small mouth
▪
He had a big nose and a big mouth.
▪
Billy’s wide mouth stretched into a grin.
a big/small celebration
▪
We’re having a small celebration for Dad’s birthday.
a big/small discount
▪
If you spend over £50, you get a big discount.
a big/small party
▪
I don’t really like going to big parties.
a large/small family
▪
She came from a large family of seven children.
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 low/small dose
▪
Treatment should be started with a small dose.
a low/small income
▪
Rent takes a large chunk of their small income.
a minor/small concession
▪
Washington made a few minor concessions in the climate talks.
a minor/small miracle (= something lucky but not very important )
▪
I’d managed to produce a good meal in half an hour, which seemed like a minor miracle.
a minor/small role
▪
He has had small roles in several other films.
a quiet/small wedding (= with not many guests )
▪
We had a quiet wedding, with just a few close friends and relatives.
a short/little/small laugh
▪
He let out a nervous little laugh.
a slight/small/minor difference
▪
There’s only a slight difference between the male and the female bird.
a small appetite
▪
My aunt only had a small appetite.
a small business (= that employs only a few people )
▪
Many small businesses have been badly hit by the recession.
a small charge
▪
For a small charge guests can use the hotel sauna.
a small child (= a young one )
▪
My family lived in France when I was a small child.
a small company
▪
His father is the director of a small company.
a small donation
▪
Even a small donation can make a big difference to one child's life.
a small economy
▪
Small economies like Kenya might struggle to survive in a global recession.
a small exhibition
▪
The library held a small exhibition showcasing the work of local artists.
a small firm
▪
He trained with a small firm in Cardiff.
a small fortune (= a very large amount of money )
▪
He made a small fortune in the London property boom.
a small gift
▪
Here’s a small gift to show our appreciation for all your hard work.
a small majority
▪
Their small majority made them worried about winning the next election.
a small margin
▪
Visitors from other parts of Scotland exceeded foreign visitors by only a small margin.
a small minority
▪
She is one of a small minority of women working in engineering.
a small number
▪
The class had only a small number of students.
a small part
▪
Toby had a small part in the film.
a small portion
▪
A small portion of western Croatia remained under Habsburg control.
a small quantity
▪
Remove a small quantity of butter from the fridge.
a small scar
▪
She could see the small scar on his right cheek.
a small slice
▪
She politely accepted a small slice of pie.
a small step
▪
This is a small step in the right direction.
a small sum
▪
Each year the inhabitants had to pay a small sum for the use of the pasture.
a small voice (= quiet and not strong or confident )
▪
She answered in a small voice, ‘I think I was afraid.’
a small/large community
▪
75% of the population live in small communities of fewer than 450 people.
a small/large etc patch
▪
Some of the hills still had small patches of snow.
a small/light breakfast
▪
She ate a light breakfast of toast and coffee.
a small/limited selection
▪
We also have a small selection of offices for daily hire.
a small/limited supply
▪
There is a limited supply of land for building.
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.
a small/low/limited budget
▪
It was a project with a low budget.
a small/minor error
▪
The letter contained some minor spelling errors.
a small/minor incident
▪
An apparently minor incident sparked off rioting.
a small/modest profit
▪
The business managed to produce a small profit last year.
a small/narrow circle
▪
Ken was the centre of a small circle of artists and writers.
a small/slight shift
▪
There has been only a slight shift in income distribution.
a small/slight/slim chance
▪
He only has a very small chance of being elected.
▪
There’s a slight chance of some sunshine in the west.
a small/small-scale enterprise
▪
The tax will affect owners of small-scale enterprises consisting of up to ten people.
a small/tiny etc amount
▪
a tiny amount of dirt
a small/trivial matter (= a matter that is not important )
▪
Walking out over such a small matter may seem ridiculous.
be bigger/smaller/worse etc than you had imagined
▪
The job interview proved to be much worse than I had imagined it would be.
big/small
▪
He had small neat feet.
cold/small comfort (= not much comfort )
▪
The tax changes will provide cold comfort to people living on a pension.
comparatively small
▪
a comparatively small number of people
have neat/small etc handwriting
▪
Yu Yin has tiny handwriting.
how much older/smaller etc
▪
She kept weighing herself to see how much heavier she was getting.
in the small hours of the morning (= very early, before dawn )
▪
I was woken up in the small hours of the morning by a strange sound.
limited/small
▪
He had just started learning English and his vocabulary was fairly limited.
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.
lose by a large/small etc margin
▪
He lost by only a narrow margin.
making small talk
▪
We stood around making small talk .
on a small scale
▪
They started by producing and selling on a small scale.
read/check the small print
▪
Always read the small print before you sign anything.
slight/small
▪
Doctors have reported a slight increase in the number of deaths caused by the disease.
▪
The temperature increase was quite small.
slight/small/minor
▪
The proposed changes were relatively minor.
small ad
small businessmen (= owning businesses that employ only a few people )
▪
shopkeepers and other small businessmen
small claims court
small fry
▪
There’s no point in arresting the small fry.
small intestine
small office/home office
small print
▪
Always read the small print before you sign anything.
small savers (= people who save small amounts of money )
▪
Mutual funds have been attractive to small savers .
small screen
▪
a film made for the small screen
small talk
▪
We stood around making small talk .
small
▪
She had high cheekbones and a small nose.
small
▪
The flat was too small for the three of them.
small
▪
His small cold eyes seemed full of menace.
small
▪
The engine is small, so it's quite economical to run.
small
▪
One way of losing weight is to eat smaller portions.
small
▪
The drugs have a relatively small effect on a lot of patients.
small
▪
The town experiences dozens of small earthquakes every year.
small
▪
The bird’s natural diet mainly consists of small insects.
small
▪
There was a small queue of people waiting to see the doctor.
small
▪
There was only a small space between the car and the wall.
small
▪
New technologies have only had a small impact on the overall level of employment.
small/big
▪
I grew up in a small town in Iowa.
▪
The nearest big town is 20 miles away.
small/little
▪
It’s a small island, barely twenty miles long.
small/little/tiny
▪
They come from a small village in Laos.
small/local trader
▪
a small trader who sells hats in Oxford
small/low
▪
Only a small percentage of people suffer from the allergy.
small/low
▪
Some companies will sell the items for you, for a small fee.
small/modest/considerable/large etc outlay
▪
For a relatively small outlay, you can start a home hairdressing business.
small/slight
▪
It’s only a small cut.
small/tiny
▪
Her handwriting was so tiny I couldn’t read it without my glasses.
sth is a small price to pay (= something is worth suffering in order to achieve something more important )
▪
Changing his job would be a small price to pay to keep his marriage intact.
the small size of sth
▪
One problem was the very small size of the department.
to a small extent (= a small amount )
▪
The plan succeeded to a small extent.
win by a large/small etc margin
▪
The party won by a huge margin.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
much
▪
Everything looks so much smaller from up here looking down than it does down below looking up.
▪
Pure fusion bombs might be much smaller than existing bombs.
▪
However, M33 is a much smaller and much looser system.
▪
Chained to its banister are a ten-speed bicycle and another, much smaller , with training wheels.
▪
Within this area, several males - smaller and less gaudy than the females - establish much smaller territories.
▪
There are tens of thousands of successful entrepreneurs who have built much smaller enterprises.
▪
The Clinton team fears the actual saving may be much smaller .
▪
The apatite crystals are also much smaller being 200-300 Å long and 40-70 Å wide.
relatively
▪
The objective was to use a relatively small fission device to trigger-off a thermonuclear reaction of arbitrarily large yield.
▪
They insist there is no pot of gold, but relatively small sums at best.
▪
The buildings are now in increasingly better condition and most work is relatively small order.
▪
Obviously the amount of money at issue is relatively small for the state government.
▪
This number of letters is approximately 1,700 words and is a relatively small sample set.
▪
This region played a relatively small part in the struggles which led up to the Sandinista revolution.
▪
A relatively small withdrawal of oil from the world market in October 1973 was sufficient to precipitate an acute crisis.
so
▪
But the cylinders were so small they could not hold more than a minute of material.
▪
Air molecules are so small that each weighs just five times ten to the minus twenty-six kilograms.
▪
It held what he could almost call a loving look, and he didn't look so small and wizened.
▪
Response was so small , however, that she changed her plan.
▪
Well, really not much more than a single mew, it's so small .
▪
But ethanol molecules, because they are so small and stable, are immune to acidic destruction.
▪
Also, the boat was so small that when I rowed, the waves came over the sides of the boat.
too
▪
The lectern at the Guildhall is a classic example of one that looks beautiful but is too small and fragile to use.
▪
Now, picture these as separate gemstones, each one is distinct, but much, much too small to see.
▪
When she came back, Alice had changed into a cotton skirt and a white blouse that was too small for her.
▪
I have lost this battle because my force was too small ....
▪
This argument is that the inverse relationship is a result of desperate families fighting for survival from too small pieces of land.
▪
The constantly falling snow itself is too dry, and its crystals are thus too small , to stick to their backs.
▪
His T-shirt was too small for him and came out of the waist of his pants.
▪
It is shiny and much too small for her.
very
▪
Marcus sat carefully on the bunk, feeling that the walls were a long way away and that he was very small .
▪
Those corkscrews that are tightly wound correspond to large momenta, and those that wind hardly at all give very small momenta.
▪
It was very small , just a little bigger than my hand.
▪
A high percentage of telephone operators are black, for example, but only a very small proportion of dental hygienists are.
▪
The forces were found to be very small and use very little of the embryo's energy.
▪
I expected some one very small or very tall.
▪
Remarkably, the distances are very small .
▪
Moreover, the data suggest that Baumol-type models can account for only a very small proportion of total transactions balances.
■ NOUN
amount
▪
In small amounts it can act as a stimulant, in larger doses causing hyperactivity, headaches and insomnia.
▪
In the process, a small amount of blood is taken from the donor and typed.
▪
Better to feed small amounts at regular intervals.
▪
Substantially smaller amounts of shielding will undoubtedly admit much larger fluxes of harmful radiation.
▪
Mr. Banks Given the nature of the tasks facing industry, that seems a rather small amount of money.
▪
This covers a wide range of worship songs, but only a small amount of hymnody.
▪
Make rewards contingent upon quite small amounts of progress.
▪
Some tropical woods such as teak and green-heart contain small amounts of toxic chemicals and also of silica.
area
▪
Others may come or go, but the entire life-cycle of many is lived within the confines of quite small areas .
▪
Damage to a small area occasionally leaves a person normal except for a very specific deficit.
▪
They make up in quality for their comparatively small area .
▪
Regularly, where intensive cultivation succeeds, civilized people in the Far East occupy only small areas .
▪
This appears more often these days generally used to fill in small areas on the ubiquitous picture sweaters.
▪
A comparatively small area is included in this zone.
▪
It is not always easy to get up to date information on which to set the quotas, especially in a small area sample.
▪
There is a smaller area of wall, broken by more extensive abutment.
business
▪
One participant had conducted some research into small businesses in West Belfast for a research report.
▪
The people believed, and many of them were putting money into improving their homes, modernizing their small businesses .
▪
These funds are designed to put capital into small businesses in different parts of the country.
▪
Classes teach the basics of small business ownership such as accounting and customer service.
▪
Historically, he said, entrepreneurship was the Cinderella of business studies, wrongly confused with the management of small businesses.
▪
How businesses , especially small businesses, were supposed to survive interest rates at that level remains a mystery to me.
▪
Primarily aimed at start-ups the courses will also be useful to those running an existing small business and keen to develop further.
▪
The new series 6000i Model 640 supports up to 32 users and is suitable for small businesses , workgroups and development environments.
change
▪
In the beginning they demanded small change , but now they ask me for £2 or £3 every time they see me.
▪
Since many exist on the margins of their environments, small changes may create big problems for them.
▪
If evolution proceeds by a series of small changes , it is hard to see how it could be otherwise.
▪
Very small changes make the biggest difference.
▪
The other eight regions recorded significantly smaller changes - some good, some bad.
▪
But it does permit small changes to take place and accumulate from one generation to the next.
▪
The object was to study the effect of small changes in the exposure, illumination etc.
▪
Even back then forty-five cents was small change .
child
▪
There is, therefore a significant risk of serious injury especially to small children .
▪
I really expected to see the black pajamas, conical hats, and the small children scatter and expose the gunner.
▪
Like John, Alan Wardle was knocked down as a small child .
▪
Instead of limiting the program to small children who attended Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church, he invited young people ages 10-18.
▪
In her left hand she held the hand of a small child dressed in a raincoat at least eight sizes too big.
▪
Women were carrying small children in their arms.
▪
But only a small child tugs at the heart-strings.
▪
He proceeded to murder two of the small children .
company
▪
For smaller companies , where financial controls are not highly developed, factoring may prove the answer.
▪
Analysts and dealers attributed the gains in smaller companies to speculation about mergers and acquisitions, that are unlikely to happen.
▪
More oil will be shipped by small companies .
▪
A partnership with Mitsubishi, which has a presence in many rawmaterial markets, could help smaller companies , he said.
▪
The small company of members looked completely dwarfed in the vast, cavernous space of the almost empty concert hall.
▪
Myriad smaller companies also track and evaluate Web sites.
▪
As a small company of 15 boys we find it hard to make ends meet.
▪
But if 1996 belongs to smaller companies or foreign stocks, your portfolio could be left in the dust.
firm
▪
Private ownership would grow gradually, with small firms multiplying even as big ones stayed in state hands.
▪
In smaller firms , where they may work alongside the people they supervise, the office may be crowded and noisy.
▪
He trained with a small firm in Cardiff.
▪
The I-way makes this practice more affordable and easily available to a number of small firms .
▪
For workers in small firms employment guarantees are very rare, working hours are longer and safety records poor.
▪
Specialised assignments were often given to smaller firms offering particular expertise in that sector, with generally good results.
▪
Local authorities are urged to provide guidance about suitable locations for small firms , and generally not to interfere with market forces.
▪
This is the question of self-regulation, which is of concern to the Institute's practising members, particularly smaller firms .
group
▪
The anti-globalisation movement is in danger of being discredited because of the antics of a small group .
▪
Virtually all instruction is in small groups or one on one.
▪
The only proof provided for such inflammatory allegations is that anarchists are organising into small groups , and these groups are autonomous.
▪
A smaller group will probably still be early preoperational, and another similar group will be late concrete operational.
▪
Fortunately a small group of folk banded together determined to save the bird and the rescue operation began.
▪
During this period, hunters lives in small groups of between twenty and sixty individuals.
▪
In small groups they can decide in advance on the questions they want to ask.
▪
A small group is easier for most group leaders to work with.
minority
▪
Only a small minority broke through the restrictive moulds of clan traditions.
▪
He seldom nods or smiles at the small minority of white and black independents.
▪
At later stages a few problems did develop, but they involved only a small minority of the cases.
▪
I think that only a small minority of quantum physicists would affirm such a view.
▪
Hunter, far more than Allon, was in a very small minority .
▪
A small minority drop showers of recoverable meteorites on the ground, but most are utterly disrupted in their final explosion.
▪
In 1978 his views were shared by a small minority in the party.
▪
A small minority of young people does drink excessively - that has probably always been true.
number
▪
ScotRail and InterCity say the services they are withdrawing or altering will affect a small number of commuters.
▪
The response quite naturally is to form fewer families and to have smaller numbers of children.
▪
Until the 1940s, the turkey was reared in relatively small numbers - up to 500 to a flock.
▪
Interest aggregation is the transformation of all these political needs and wants into a smaller number of coherent alternatives. 6.
▪
Throughout the war, others took their place but in much smaller numbers .
▪
Considering the relatively small number of men actually at risk, the casualty rates were very high.
▪
A small number of people think they have been infected through sucking.
▪
Moreover, a small number of diseases command a large proportion of the limited resources.
part
▪
Meanwhile we have the jubilant pictures of Hillary Clinton celebrating her husband's triumph in which she has played no small part .
▪
For the patterned butterflies I used a small part of the leaf design.
▪
This region played a relatively small part in the struggles which led up to the Sandinista revolution.
▪
How different is this deep breathing from the shallow, uncontrolled breathing which uses only a very small part of the lungs.
▪
As a result they offered him small parts in the next two films in which Ken would star.
▪
Talent plays but a small part in the proceedings.
▪
After her spell in the Palace Girls she had graduated to playing small parts in the Blackpool shows.
percentage
▪
A much smaller percentage of pupils now leaves school without any qualifications.
▪
Gold claimed that that was not true, that they were only talking about a very small percentage of women.
▪
In fact, the diamonds we see in jewellers' windows are typical of only a small percentage of natural diamonds.
▪
Other categories of business had smaller percentages .
▪
That is a very small percentage of the total number whose lives are in danger.
▪
The Austin event drew a smaller percentage of people over the age of 70 than they had hoped.
▪
But we think only a small percentage of abused kids tell, as abusers are so good at silencing them.
▪
Many agencies agreed to hire only a small percentage of welfare workers.
piece
▪
You then need a small piece of wood to do the scribing.
▪
He picked the can off the flame, using a small piece of cardboard to protect his fingers from the hot lid.
▪
And looking tense and grim-faced, he walked slowly to the pulpit and read a statement from a small piece of paper.
▪
The victim still had a small piece of metal from the van in his leg, he added.
▪
Chop mango cubes into smaller pieces .
▪
He screwed up the note into small pieces and looked around for others.
▪
Eventually the straw-stuffed ox was weathered into small pieces .
proportion
▪
While the vast majority of offenders are men, a small proportion are women.
▪
Such a tax takes a smaller and smaller proportion of income as income increases.
▪
This represents only a small proportion of the structure.
▪
Even so, as Table 4.1 shows, wholesale funding remains a comparatively small proportion of total liabilities.
▪
Their short-term assets form a much smaller proportion of the total.
▪
Although only a small proportion receive free food, about half of all farm workers in Britain live in tied accommodation.
▪
From school, a small proportion proceed to institutions of further and higher education.
▪
Refugees granted asylum or allowed to stay made up a small proportion-just over 10,000 in 1999.
quantity
▪
We can deliver them direct to site in bulk, small quantities , or in house sets.
▪
He explained that sand bags cost $ 3 each when filled and purchased in small quantities .
▪
During the afternoon he'd made a small quantity of Recipe 179 - enough to fill three biscuit tins.
▪
Unfortunately they are seldom present in small quantities for long, as they soon cover the bottom from their rapid growth.
▪
Except in small quantities or special cases, money now has to be raised through debt.
▪
They are best enjoyed in small quantities .
▪
The light type uses only small quantities of raw materials; e.g. for television, or for biscuits.
▪
A small quantity went to Argonne and Battelle for experimental purposes.
scale
▪
Teacher education is a smaller scale enterprise than it was at the time of the events I have recorded.
▪
But what works on a small scale can be a disaster on a large scale.
▪
Biofuels and wind power are regarded as the most promising technologies, along with small scale hydro and tidal power.
▪
We exploited the economics of small scale and laid to rest the diseconomies of large scale.
▪
Works, which had to be small scale , were submitted by both established and unknown artists.
▪
Behaviors that are safe on a small scale can become catastrophic on larger ones.
▪
Is what is small scale and open to observation by only one teacher capable of demonstrating a broader relevance?
town
▪
Such structures are generally therefore an integral part of the domestic and workshop accommodation available in all the small towns .
▪
This is a small town , son.
▪
She was the only physician in a small town and much loved by the people there.
▪
The prominence of temples in the small towns is of some interest.
▪
The impact of drought-damaged crops and low beef prices could mean a severe impact in many small towns .
▪
What was Cambridge, after all, but a small town which had got above itself?
▪
Brendan Murphy plays Salvatore Crosetti, a young man from a small town near Naples.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(it's) no/small/little wonder (that)
a big fish in a little/small pond
cold/small comfort
▪
The business won't go bankrupt, but that's cold comfort to the 15 people who lost their jobs.
▪
But this opposition misleads; charisma is cold comfort without expert management.
▪
Erratic hot winds kept the air thick with dust, and the fan gave small comfort to the feverish, aching children.
▪
Now, even these small comforts must be questioned.
▪
Perhaps it was ready? Small comfort , through ten guilt-ridden days.
▪
Precedent, however, suggests that his comments will offer only cold comfort to Mr Jiang and Mr Li.
▪
Rosy statistics on aggregate food production offer small comfort to nations that can not afford a seat at the banquet.
▪
The survival of slimmed-down companies is small comfort for people made redundant.
▪
They could explore the area, learn its resources and contrive small comforts in their rooms.
don't sweat the small stuff
in a big/small way
▪
Way back, something went bad in a big way.
▪
Actors are getting paid more than their worth all over Hollywood right now, and in a big way .
▪
But his baseball career has been resurrected in a big way this season.
▪
But I think we blew it in a big way .
▪
Colorado has taken to the sport in a big way .
▪
His ambulance service has taken off in a big way .
▪
I began to prepare in a small way to enjoy the Christmas in Bedford.
▪
This is something he has carried in a big way into his later professional life.
on the small/high/heavy etc side
▪
Also on the small side is the 14-gallon fuel tank.
▪
Both versions have the same size fuel tank, which, at 14. 5 gallons, is on the small side .
▪
Burned by that experience, chip forecasters prepared their 1996 forecasts on the high side .
▪
For political reasons, these estimates are on the high side .
▪
The bedrooms, though on the small side , have recently been completed refurbished in sophisticated style.
▪
The clams and mussels-four of each-are on the small side , but flavorful.
▪
The little one's a bit on the small side .
▪
The only complaint we had with the shoe was the weight - it's on the heavy side .
small change
▪
Beggars were asking for small change .
▪
The program costs $20 million a year, small change in Washington.
▪
All this is very small change but very typical of our brother.
▪
Even back then forty-five cents was small change .
▪
For each member of the group, a small change of habit was the first step to an identity of its own.
▪
However, it does result in small changes in the tabulated values of the molar entropies of gases.
▪
Investors holding ninety-day Treasury bills experience very small changes in the value of those bills as interest rates fluctuate.
▪
Such small changes are invaluable in giving themes renewed vitality, while at the same time preserving unity.
▪
Try some of these steps: Make some small changes first.
▪
Very small changes make the biggest difference.
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 small screen
▪
I had seen the movie before, but it didn't look as good on the small screen.
▪
It's one of the best shows ever seen on the small screen.
▪
The story of Hearst's life made it to the small screen last spring.
the small/fine print
▪
But trading standards officers and the Consumers' Association are warning customers to scrutinise the small print .
▪
He starts to read one, clearly hoping to find the answer in the small print .
▪
His agent was sorting out the fine print .
▪
It is the broker's job to make sure the haulier fully understands the small print of the exemption and other clauses.
▪
It ought to be the fine print , not the screaming headline.
▪
New formulae claim anything from 15 to 24 hours' efficacy, so check the small print on the pack!
▪
You submit your offer on Form 656, but read the fine print on the back.
vanishingly small/improbable
▪
But even if this conclusion is not justified, we can say that infallible beliefs must have vanishingly small content.
▪
For just the same reason, it is vanishingly improbable that exactly the same evolutionary pathway should ever be travelled twice.
▪
If the object is very distant, linear magnification becomes vanishingly small.
▪
It would need a gigantic and vanishingly improbable leap across genetic hyperspace.
▪
On average, the chances of weediness emerging by accident are vanishingly small.
▪
Statistically, however, the chance of avoiding synonyms altogether is vanishingly small.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
"It still hurts," he said in a small voice.
▪
Smaller cars use less gas.
▪
a small increase in food prices
▪
a small man in a dark suit
▪
A small number of protesters stood near the entrance to the plant.
▪
Be aware that women and small children, as well as men, can be pickpockets.
▪
Bobby's small for his age, but he's perfectly healthy.
▪
Government statistics showed a small drop in the annual rate of inflation.
▪
His office was a small room at the top of the building.
▪
How come I always seem to go out with small men?
▪
I want to make a few small changes to the design.
▪
Mrs Newman was a small and slightly plump, with a round face.
▪
My sister's quite a bit smaller and slimmer than me.
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Only a small number of people eventually turned up.
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People are buying smaller cars because they are cheaper to run.
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Private schools can offer smaller classes and more individual attention.
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Rhode Island is the smallest state in the nation.
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She soon discovered that looking after small children was very tiring.
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The kids were too small to really understand.
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The level of radiation in the atmosphere is really very small .
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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But smaller deficits brought on either by spending cuts or higher taxes reduce purchasing power.
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He took it into a small booth under the stairs which evidently served him as darkroom.
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Highly suitable for a small children's collection with modest funds for annual updating of stock. 8.
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I've got a small cassette.
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It is important to use small bags, since a large number of acorns together will generate heat.
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Leonora had small , well-shaped hands and clasped his warmly.
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On the mainland, the small beaches were faintly visible, the surf like a tiny ruffle of white lace.
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Wonford House was a smaller, more modern, hospital.
II. noun
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(it's) no/small/little wonder (that)
a big fish in a little/small pond
cold/small comfort
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The business won't go bankrupt, but that's cold comfort to the 15 people who lost their jobs.
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But this opposition misleads; charisma is cold comfort without expert management.
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Erratic hot winds kept the air thick with dust, and the fan gave small comfort to the feverish, aching children.
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Now, even these small comforts must be questioned.
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Perhaps it was ready? Small comfort , through ten guilt-ridden days.
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Precedent, however, suggests that his comments will offer only cold comfort to Mr Jiang and Mr Li.
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Rosy statistics on aggregate food production offer small comfort to nations that can not afford a seat at the banquet.
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The survival of slimmed-down companies is small comfort for people made redundant.
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They could explore the area, learn its resources and contrive small comforts in their rooms.
don't sweat the small stuff
in a big/small way
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Way back, something went bad in a big way.
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Actors are getting paid more than their worth all over Hollywood right now, and in a big way .
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But his baseball career has been resurrected in a big way this season.
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But I think we blew it in a big way .
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Colorado has taken to the sport in a big way .
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His ambulance service has taken off in a big way .
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I began to prepare in a small way to enjoy the Christmas in Bedford.
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This is something he has carried in a big way into his later professional life.
on the small/high/heavy etc side
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Also on the small side is the 14-gallon fuel tank.
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Both versions have the same size fuel tank, which, at 14. 5 gallons, is on the small side .
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Burned by that experience, chip forecasters prepared their 1996 forecasts on the high side .
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For political reasons, these estimates are on the high side .
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The bedrooms, though on the small side , have recently been completed refurbished in sophisticated style.
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The clams and mussels-four of each-are on the small side , but flavorful.
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The little one's a bit on the small side .
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The only complaint we had with the shoe was the weight - it's on the heavy side .
small change
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Beggars were asking for small change .
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The program costs $20 million a year, small change in Washington.
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All this is very small change but very typical of our brother.
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Even back then forty-five cents was small change .
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For each member of the group, a small change of habit was the first step to an identity of its own.
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However, it does result in small changes in the tabulated values of the molar entropies of gases.
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Investors holding ninety-day Treasury bills experience very small changes in the value of those bills as interest rates fluctuate.
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Such small changes are invaluable in giving themes renewed vitality, while at the same time preserving unity.
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Try some of these steps: Make some small changes first.
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Very small changes make the biggest difference.
the little/small matter of sth
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But first there's the small matter of a semi-final clash that has split the household down the middle.
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His manifesto, of course, concerns the small matter of his life.
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On a good day, the building would be almost entirely rented-apart from the small matter of signing the contract.
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Then there was the small matter of my physical fitness.
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There's also the little matter of thirty-three shroud lines loops!
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There remains, as ever, the little matter of finance.
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This operation was tricky because there was the little matter of taking off my trousers and putting on my shorts.
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What about the small matter of the rest of the season?
the small screen
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I had seen the movie before, but it didn't look as good on the small screen.
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It's one of the best shows ever seen on the small screen.
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The story of Hearst's life made it to the small screen last spring.
the small/fine print
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But trading standards officers and the Consumers' Association are warning customers to scrutinise the small print .
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He starts to read one, clearly hoping to find the answer in the small print .
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His agent was sorting out the fine print .
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It is the broker's job to make sure the haulier fully understands the small print of the exemption and other clauses.
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It ought to be the fine print , not the screaming headline.
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New formulae claim anything from 15 to 24 hours' efficacy, so check the small print on the pack!
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You submit your offer on Form 656, but read the fine print on the back.
the wee (small) hours
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The recording session extended into the wee hours.
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An ideal adventure for beginners, this one should have you plugging away till the wee small hours of the morning.
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For safety, a night light comes on at the top of the stairs when some one emerges in the wee hours.
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Soul musicians are, by nature, nocturnal, so many of his interviews would take place in the wee hours.
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Their video-age medicine shows run on dozens of cable and broadcast outlets in the wee hours.
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We got to Sabinal in the wee hours before dawn.
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Where else can such a thought be debated ad nauseam into the wee hours of a boring Tuesday?
vanishingly small/improbable
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But even if this conclusion is not justified, we can say that infallible beliefs must have vanishingly small content.
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For just the same reason, it is vanishingly improbable that exactly the same evolutionary pathway should ever be travelled twice.
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If the object is very distant, linear magnification becomes vanishingly small.
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It would need a gigantic and vanishingly improbable leap across genetic hyperspace.
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On average, the chances of weediness emerging by accident are vanishingly small.
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Statistically, however, the chance of avoiding synonyms altogether is vanishingly small.