smattering
a very little
TRANSLATION
smattering = oberflächliche Kenntnisse; Halbwissen a smattering of French = ein kleines bißchen französisch sprechen, rudimentäre Französisch Kenntnisse haben --- GOOGLE INDEX smattering approximately 4,910,000 hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
He speaks English fluently, along with Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, and A SMATTERING OF FRENCH.
(www.gamespot.com)
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Minerva House was a finishing establishment for young ladies, where some twenty girls of the ages from thirteen to nineteen inclusive, acquired A SMATTERING of everything and a knowledge of nothing.
- Charles Dickens
(www.gamespot.com)
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Minerva House was a finishing establishment for young ladies, where some twenty girls of the ages from thirteen to nineteen inclusive, acquired A SMATTERING of everything and a knowledge of nothing.
- Charles Dickens
Did you
know?
a smattering of
noun phrase (usually singular)
- a very small amount or number
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
- superficial or piecemeal knowledge
(American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
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WORD ORIGIN
Smattering stems from the verb "to smatter," meaning to talk idly, chatter. The origin is uncertain but may be imitative. Similar forms can be found in Middle High German "smetern," to chatter, and the Swedish "smattra," to patter or rattle. The noun sense of superficial knowledge is from 1538.
Smattering can be used to describe a small amount of anything. It is frequently used to refer having superficial knowledge of something, particularly a language.
The word is also in the title of the book "Smattering of Ignorance," from American pianist Oscar Levant who was more famous for his wit and sarcasm than his musical talent. Here is a smattering of some of his more famous quotes:
There are two sides to every question: my side and the wrong side.
What the world needs is more geniuses with humility, there are so few of us left.
There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.
Once he makes up his mind, he's full of indecision (on former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower).
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SYNONYMS
atom, chicken feed, crumb, dab, dash, drop, fraction, fragment, grain, iota, little bit, mite, morsel, particle, pinch, scintilla, scrap, shard, shaving, shred, sliver, small amount, small bit, small quantity, smidgen, speck, tad, taste, trace, wee bit, whiff, whisper
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"With my smattering of French, I can at least read a restaurant menu in Paris."
noun phrase (usually singular)
- a very small amount or number
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
- superficial or piecemeal knowledge
(American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
---
WORD ORIGIN
Smattering stems from the verb "to smatter," meaning to talk idly, chatter. The origin is uncertain but may be imitative. Similar forms can be found in Middle High German "smetern," to chatter, and the Swedish "smattra," to patter or rattle. The noun sense of superficial knowledge is from 1538.
Smattering can be used to describe a small amount of anything. It is frequently used to refer having superficial knowledge of something, particularly a language.
The word is also in the title of the book "Smattering of Ignorance," from American pianist Oscar Levant who was more famous for his wit and sarcasm than his musical talent. Here is a smattering of some of his more famous quotes:
There are two sides to every question: my side and the wrong side.
What the world needs is more geniuses with humility, there are so few of us left.
There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.
Once he makes up his mind, he's full of indecision (on former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower).
---
SYNONYMS
atom, chicken feed, crumb, dab, dash, drop, fraction, fragment, grain, iota, little bit, mite, morsel, particle, pinch, scintilla, scrap, shard, shaving, shred, sliver, small amount, small bit, small quantity, smidgen, speck, tad, taste, trace, wee bit, whiff, whisper
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"With my smattering of French, I can at least read a restaurant menu in Paris."
