small change
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English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun[edit]
- Coins of little value kept in one's pocket or bag.
- (idiomatic) A minor or insignificant amount of money.
- The cost of toothpaste is small change compared to the cost of dental work.
- (idiomatic, by extension) A person or thing of little importance or value.
- 1988 December 14, Vincent Canby, “Movie Review: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, in New York Times, retrieved 25 May 2016:
- He's a self-satisfied klutz who aspires to be a con artist. . . . Compared with Lawrence, Freddy is small change.
Usage notes[edit]
This idiom can also used in the negative to indicate a great deal of money:
- The car he wants costs $38,000, and that's no small change.
Synonyms[edit]
- (coins of little value): loose change, spare change, shrapnel (slang)
- (minor or insignificant amount of money): chump change, pocket change
- (person or thing of little importance or value): small potatoes
Translations[edit]
a minor or insignificant amount of money
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