odds and ends
9
2.8
- noun
- /ɑdz ənd ɛndz/
- Informal
:
cosas varias
- There's a few odds and ends to take care of before we get started.
I've got a few brushes and just some little random odds and ends that I want to tell you about.
- I've got a few brushes and just some little random odds and ends that I want to tell you about.
Examples
-
However, I was trying to find some odds and ends for our bedroom and living room.
Blog text (22) -
The truck bed was nearly emptied, scattered with just a few odds and ends of bric-a-brac.
Fiction book (1998) -
And then you need a few odds and ends.
-
Well, there were some odds and ends when I first came to New York.
-
We were given money, groceries, and other odds and ends to tide us over.
Fiction book (1993) -
Now all I need is a new cam sensor and a few more odds and ends and it'll be all set to go.
-
Below him on the street, his donkey waits next to a wooden cart filled with odds and ends.
Academic text (2006) -
After cleaning the garage, I found a box filled with odds and ends, including old toys and broken tools.
-
She loves to visit the thrift store, always hunting for odds and ends that she can repurpose into art.
-
At the end of the party, we ended up with leftover food and other odds and ends that needed to be packed up.
Synonyms
373
1.1
Old or broken things that are no longer useful
16
4.2
A small cheap object people keep to decorate a home
14
7.3
A messy mixture of different things thrown together
7
6.4
A confused mix of different things
1
8.2
A mixture of different things, often very varied and unexpected
1
9.9
A confused mix of different things that do not fit together
1
5.5
Various small things kept together, such as pens and paper clips
1
5.9
Small items that are not very valuable, like soap or paper clips
1
7.1
A collection of different, unrelated items
Small leftover pieces from things like buttons or fabric
A mixed collection of different things, like photos and receipts
A mixed collection of different things
A messy mixture of different things that do not fit together
A confused mix of different things like old toys and books
Antonyms
How Miscellaneous
- Informal
9
2.8
104
4.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense ‘various small miscellaneous items’ is partially recoverable because 'ends' can mean small leftover scraps and 'odds' can suggest 'odd bits' or miscellaneous pieces, so the components point toward leftover items. However, 'odds and ends' is a fixed idiomatic pairing with a conventionalized meaning and the word 'odds' in this phrase has a historical/formal sense that many learners won’t reliably infer, so comprehension is only partial without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrase odds and ends may come from the image of a box of leftover scraps: odds are single odd items and ends are small pieces like cloth or string. So, it came to mean a collection of 'small, mixed things' left over after a job.