odds and ends

noun

1. miscellaneous items, matters, etc.

2. fragments; remnants; scraps; bits.

odds and ends

plural noun

1. miscellaneous items or articles

Word History and Origins

Origin of odds and ends¹

First recorded in 1740–50

Idioms and Phrases

Miscellaneous items, fragments and remnants, as in I've finished putting everything away, except for a few odds and ends. This expression may have originated as odd ends in the mid-1500s, meaning “short leftovers of some material” (such as lumber or cloth). It had acquired its present form and meaning by the mid-1700s.