definitions

slim pickings

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]

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RELATED WORDS

lack, inadequacy, paucity, deficiency, absence, shortage, several, some, infrequency, scantiness, default, privation, defect, famine, scantness, poverty, want, need, miss, meagerness

Nearby words

sligo, slily, slim, slim disease, slim down, slim pickings, slime, slime bacteria, slime mold, slime mould, slimeball
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.