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diddly-squat

diddly-squat

3 9.9
Nothing at all
  • noun
  • /ˈdɪdli skwɑt/
  • Informal
translation icon : nada
  • Vernon, you don't have diddly-squat.
  • mean diddly-squat
  • give diddly-squat

Examples

  • Them cats stole the stolen map we stole, and we ended up with diddly-squat.

  • Those same banks—familiar names all, like Bank of America, Citibank, et al.—have lent just about diddly squat to small businesses in the past three years...

    Blog text (13)
  • We're not gonna make diddly-squat on this job anyway.

  • I'm not giving you diddly-squat.

  • Every other president, Democrat or Republican, has been totally controlled, which is why none of them have done diddly-squat to make a difference in the direction of the country.

    Blog text (7)
  • The media doesn't give diddly squat about these little people.

  • I got diddly-squat.

  • You don't know diddly squat about boats.

  • "What do you mean?" "I mean, if you weren't their king, they wouldn't have given you diddly squat."

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We haven't accomplished diddly-squat on this project so far.

Synonyms

squat
vsdiddly-squat
  • Slang
54 8.1

An amount that is nothing

is a general dismissive idiom also used without negative construction
jack
vsdiddly-squat
  • Slang
43 9.5

A very small, worthless amount people talk about in negative sentences

is the general idiom usable in positive or negative contexts
diddley
vsdiddly-squat
  • Informal
7 9.9

A very small amount, almost nothing

is the more familiar idiomatic pairing rather than this spelling variant
diddly
vsdiddly-squat
  • Informal
4 9.9

A very small amount, almost nothing

is the two-word colloquial expression rather than the simple single word
doodly-squat
vsdiddly-squat
  • Slang
2 9.9

A very small or worthless amount

is the usual informal expression without the playful vowel change
not much of anything
vsdiddly-squat
2 4.3

Almost nothing of value

is the informal slang pairing that feels punchier and more dismissive
diddy
vsdiddly-squat
  • UK
1 9.9

A very small thing that is not important or valuable

is focused on quantity or extent rather than on a single object
diddlysquat
vsdiddly-squat
  • Informal
1 9.9

A very small amount or nothing at all

is the hyphenated or two-word alternative form used the same way
diddly-shit
vsdiddly-squat
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A very small amount that is almost nothing

is the neutral slang expression without that extra emphatic negative use
diddlyshit
vsdiddly-squat
  • Offensive
9.9

A very small amount or nothing at all

is the common two-part idiom form rather than a single shortened variant

Antonyms

106 1.9

A large amount of useful things or ideas that someone has

91 3.3

A large amount of something, more than you need

How Much

a lot
1.0
a little
1.0
diddly-squat
  • Informal
3 9.9
nothing
17 1.0

Surface Forms

diddly-squat singular
diddly-squats plural

Morphology

diddly-squat = diddly + squat (semi-transparent) = diddly + squat

The two colloquial elements suggest smallness/insignificance, but the whole expression is an idiomatic intensifier meaning 'nothing at all' that a learner may not derive from the parts alone.

Etymology

The word diddly-squat mixes the playful diddly, meaning a tiny or silly thing, with squat, which in slang means 'nothing', as in 'you don't know squat', so together it means 'nothing at all'.