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Glite Dictionary
small game

small game

2 4.4
Wild animals like rabbits and pheasants that people hunt for food or sport
  • noun
  • /smɔl ɡeɪm/
translation icon : caza menor
  • For dinner, Elwes and Uncle Harvey ate whatever fish, partridges, or other small game Harvey had managed to kill that day.
  • small game hunting
  • hunt small game

Examples

  • Occasionally, they went on their own to fish and pick wild fruits or even hunt small game in the immediate surroundings.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Our quarry for the day was going to be squirrels, although small game season also includes rabbits, grouse, and a few other animals.

    Blog text (14)

  • Hunting small game and fishing provided additional resources.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Both male and female students participated in "almost daily hunting exhibitions" for small game.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Hunting customs also changed; small game hunting and fishing became exclusively male activities.

    Academic text (2000)

  • I'm thinking small game (rabbit, squirrel) is a good place to start.

    Blog text (3)

  • Women also receive dream magic for their hunting of small game, such as marsupials, rats, and reptiles, which they kill with sticks near settlements and sago processing sites.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Both groups occasionally hunted small game in the lowlands using pit traps, bows, and poisoned arrows (Krapf 1860).

    Academic text (2018)

  • Many young hunters start their experience by pursuing small game like rabbits and squirrels.

  • During the winter months, small game such as pheasants and hares become popular targets for hunters.

Antonyms

big game
15 3.8

Large wild animals like elephants or lions that people hunt for sport

How Big

big game
15 3.8
small game
2 4.4

Surface Forms

small game singular
small games plural

Morphology

small + game

The meaning 'wild animals of small size hunted for sport or food' follows directly from combining 'small' (limited in size) with 'game' (animals pursued for sport or meat). This adjective + noun composition is literal and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Small game comes from hunting language: small means little and game means 'wild animals' that people catch for food or sport. So small game refers to 'wild animals of small size', like rabbits or pheasants, that are hunted.