slim pickings
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A small amount left after others have taken a share. For example, After each of the children took what they wanted of Mother's things, it was slim pickings for the rest of the family. This expression alludes to animals devouring a carcass. [Early 1600s]
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Words nearby slim pickings
slime mould, slimline, slimmer, slimming, slimnastics, slim pickings, slimsy, slimy, sling, sling-back, sling chair
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
How to use slim pickings in a sentence
And the rest of the field is pretty slim pickings, Jeb included.
Tea Partiers looking for a third-party candidate to cast a protest vote are left with slim pickings.
AlbuquerqueThis sleepy southwestern town has Native American folklore and petroglyphs, but slim pickings for social life.
I figured, though, that when I had passed beyond the zone of this gracious hospitality there would be slim pickings.
Eating in Two or Three Languages|Irvin S. Cobb