dribs and drabs

plural noun

1. small and usually irregular amounts.

   He repaid the loan in dribs and drabs.

dribs and drabs

/ drɪbz /

plural noun

1. small sporadic amounts

Idioms and Phrases

Bits and pieces, negligible amounts, as in There's not much left, just some dribs and drabs of samples. The noun drib is thought to be a shortening of driblet, for “drop” or “tiny quantity,” dating from the early 1700s, whereas drab meaning “a small sum of money” dates from the early 1800s.