small fry
1
6.9
- noun
- /smɔl fraɪ/
- Offensive
:
don nadie
- While the small fry often struggle for attention, the industry giants dominate the headlines.
Oh wow, this is a small fry.
- Oh wow, this is a small fry.
Examples
-
In the crowded business world, many startups are considered small fry compared to established corporations.
-
The rest of the resistance are just small fries!
-
And as Booth shows, that's pretty much what you'd expect from the distribution over the entire biotech industry, including all the wild-eyed stuff and the riskiest small fry.
Blog text (9) -
The politician dismissed the concerns of the small fry, focusing instead on the interests of major donors.
Synonyms
39
6.5
A person who feels small and powerless against those in power
33
7.7
A small person, often a child, seen as unimportant
14
5.8
A person or thing of little importance
1
9.6
A small or young person who is not taken seriously
Antonyms
How Important
- Informal
91
3.9
12
3.8
5
4.1
- Offensive
1
6.9
3
3.5
- Offensive
3
8.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
small + fry
The sense 'insignificant person(s)' can be linked to 'small' (little) plus 'fry' (young/small creatures), so a motivated learner who knows both words could infer a meaning of 'little/insignificant beings.' However, the shift from literal young animals to a dismissive label for people is a metaphorical extension and culturally conventionalized, so the exact pragmatic meaning is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Small fry uses the same picture of tiny fry in a big sea: small fish seem unimportant, so calling someone 'small fry' says they are not important compared to others.