Meaning: a few

adj.
more than one but indefinitely small in number

few Idiom, Proverb

a few bricks short of a full load

not sensible or logical, not all there When Moe began eating bugs, we knew he was a few bricks short.

a man of few words

"a man who says little; who uses few words" Chung is a man of few words, but when he speaks, people listen.

break curfew

stay out later than the rules allow If you break curfew, the coach will remind you of the rules.

few and far between

very few, rare, the odd one Canada still has timber wolves, but they are few and far between.

get off a few good ones

tell a few jokes, say a few funny lines When Rob spoke at our wedding he got off a few good ones.

had a few

a little drunk, buzzed He staggered a bit when he walked - like he'd had a few.

man of few words

(See a man of few words)

pull a few strings

help by talking to powerful people, it's not what you know... My application was late, but a friend of mine pulled a few strings and got me an interview.

quite a few

" several; numerous."

tip a few

drink a few beer etc., bend your elbow Chuck used to tip a few when he was younger. He drank with us.

wash a few things out

Idiom(s): wash a few things out

Theme: CLOTHING - LAUNDRY

to do a little bit of laundry, such as socks and underclothing.
• I'm sorry I can't go out tonight. I've got to wash a few things out.
• I'll be ready to leave in just a minute. I've just got to wash out a few things.

precious few

Idiom(s): precious few AND precious little

Theme: AMOUNT - SMALL

very few; very little. (Informal.)
• We get precious few tourists here in the winter.
• There's precious little food in the house and there is no money.

drop sb a few lines

Idiom(s): drop someone a line AND drop someone a few lines

Theme: COMMUNICATION - WRITTEN

to write a letter or a note to someone. (The line refers to lines of writing.)
• I dropped Aunt Jane a line last Thanksgiving.
• She usually drops me a few lines around the first of the year.

Ruffle a few feathers

If you ruffle a few feathers, you annoy some people when making changes or improvements.

a few|few

n. or adj. A small number (of people or things); some. The dry weather killed most of Mother's flowers, but a few are left. In the store, Mary saw many pretty rings and bracelets, and she wanted to buy a few of them. After the party, we thought that no one would help clean up, but a few couples did. Alice wanted to read a few pages more before she stopped.

Usually "a few" is different in meaning from "few", which emphasizes the negative; "a few" means "some", but "few" means "not many". We thought no one would come to lunch, but a few came. We thought many people would come to lunch, but few came. But sometimes "a few" is used with "only", and then it is negative. We thought many people would come to lunch, but only a few came.

Sometimes used like an adverb. Three students have no seats; we need a few more chairs. If we can set up chairs faster than people come and sit in them, we will soon be a few ahead.

Sometimes used with "very" for emphasis. Uncle Ralph gave away almost all of his sea shells, but he still had a very few left.
Compare: A LITTLE.
Antonym: A LOT, QUITE A FEW.

few and far between|far between|few

adj. phr. Not many; few and scattered; not often met or found; rare.

Used in the predicate. People who will work as hard as Thomas A. Edison are few and far between. Places where you can get water are few and far between in the desert. Really exciting games are few and far between.

man of few words|man|word|words

n. phr. A man who doesn't talk very much; a man who says only what is needed. The principal is a man of few words, but the pupils know what he wants.

quite a few|a few|a number|quite|quite a number

also formal

a few

a few
A small number of persons or things. This phrase can differ slightly from few used alone, which means “not many.” For example, The party was to end at eight, but a few stayed on indicates that a small number of guests remained, whereas The party began at eight, and few attended means that hardly any guests came. [Late 1200s] Also see quite a bit.

few

few
In addition to the idioms beginning with few, also see a few; bricks shy of a load; of few words, man of; precious few; quite a bit.
* * *
- few and far between
- few bricks shy of a load
- few words

few bricks shy of a load

few bricks shy of a load
see bricks shy of a load.

few words

few words
see of few words, man of.

of few words, man of

of few words, man of
Also, woman of few words. A person who does not speak much; also, a person of action rather than words. For example, A woman of few words, Susan hardly seemed like a successful lawyer, or Harry's a man of few words but he gets things done. This characteristic has been considered praiseworthy since Homer's time, but the precise idiom dates only from about 1600. Shakespeare had it in Henry V (3:2): “Men of few words are the best men.”

More Idioms/Phrases

of a kind of a piece of a sort of choice of consequence of few words, man of of it of note of one's life of service to someone, be

English Vocalbulary

A G a good deal a great deal a horizon a-horizon a hundred times a.k.a. a kempis a la carte a la mode a level a-line a-list a little a lot a.m. a'man a million times antonimnya few