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Showing results for slim pickings. Search instead for spell pickings.
Synonyms

slim pickings

Idioms  

  1. 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]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But for those who poured in to see eight-time Ballon d'Or-winner Messi there were slim pickings, as the tightly marked 38-year-old failed to get a shot on target despite Miami dominating possession.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

The drink lineup was solid, much better than the slim pickings at my $89 beach day in the Dominican Republic a few days earlier.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

But these are slim pickings for a movement that once dominated the European scene.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2024

It wasn’t the greatest “Weekend Update” guest segment of late, but as with the rest of the episode, it was slim pickings this week.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2024

Probably there are only jellyfish and tiny crabs, but even with those slim pickings we have snorkeled at the tiny beach, always.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.