few and far between
19
5.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
escaso
- Moments like these are few and far between.
- services are few and far between
But that's like so few and far between, it's not even really worth mentioning.
- But that's like so few and far between, it's not even really worth mentioning.
- And why are job postings so few and far between?
- That's not a criticism, but earth shattering, life changing ideas are very few and far between.
- But again, this has been mainly in mice and the studies that have been done in humans are very few and far between and quite inconsistent.
- I mean, the the parents who stay together are just few and far between.
- But the people who get up and move are one rare, few and far between.
- And and that's the nature of science, quick hits that resolve everything few and far between.
- Whereas like if we had a more creative job where like jobs are few and far between.
- Hopefully, you know, those are few and far between.
- Those opportunities may become maybe few and far between, but you still find purpose in trying to become that person.
Examples
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MIT graduates are few and far between these days.
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Unfortunately, all the really worthwhile things about high school were few and far between.
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I do think those people are few and far between and that having a system that provides treatment services is the best way to go.
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Those opportunities may become maybe few and far between, but you still find purpose in trying to become that person.
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Those moments are few and far between.
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But independent civil society organizations are few and far between.
Academic text (2007) -
Conversations are few and far between.
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But in the Netherlands, they are few and far between.
Academic text (1990) -
Practicing teachers may be evaluated annually by their supervisors, but these visits are few and far between.
Academic text (1991) -
Good job opportunities are few and far between in this small town.
Synonyms
582
4.1
Not common and appearing in only a few places
13
4.5
Happening only sometimes and not often
Antonyms
How Often
Surface Forms
Morphology
The elements 'few' (small number) and 'far between' (widely spaced) combine to evoke scarcity, so a learner who knows those words can often infer the sense 'very rare'. However, the expression is a fixed, lexicalized idiom that maps spatial distance onto frequency metaphorically, so the exact usage and fixed form are not fully predictable from the parts alone.
Etymology
The idiom few and far between gives a simple picture: imagine trees that are few and far between, each one a long way from the next. That's why the phrase means 'very rare' or 'not happening often'.