Adjacent Words

small beer definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: something of small importance [syn: triviality, trivia, trifle, small beer]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1568 1. weak or inferior beer 2. something of small importance ; trivia • small-beer adjective

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

4. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short; as, after a small space. --Shak. 5. Weak; slender; fine; gentle; soft; not loud. ``A still, small voice.'' --1 Kings xix. 12. Great and small,of all ranks or degrees; -- used especially of persons. ``His quests, great and small.'' --Chaucer. Small arms, muskets, rifles, pistols, etc., in distinction from cannon. Small beer. See under Beer. Small coal. (a) Little coals of wood formerly used to light fires. --Gay. (b) Coal about the size of a hazelnut, separated from the coarser parts by screening. Small craft (Naut.), a vessel, or vessels in general, of a small size. Small fruits. See under Fruit. Small hand, a certain size of paper. See under Paper. Small hours. See under Hour. Small letter. (Print.), a lower-case letter. See Lower-case, and Capital letter, under Capital, a. Small piece, a Scotch coin worth about 21/4d. sterling, or about 41/2cents. Small register. See the Note under 1st Register, 7. Small stuff (Naut.), spun yarn, marline, and the smallest kinds of rope. --R. H. Dana, Jr. Small talk, light or trifling conversation; chitchat. Small wares (Com.), various small textile articles, as tapes, braid, tringe, and the like. --M`Culloch.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Beer Beer, n. [OE. beor, ber, AS. be['o]r; akin to Fries. biar, Icel. bj?rr, OHG. bior, D. & G. bier, and possibly E. brew. [root]93, See Brew.] 1. A fermented liquor made from any malted grain, but commonly from barley malt, with hops or some other substance to impart a bitter flavor. Note: Beer has different names, as small beer, ale, porter, brown stout, lager beer, according to its strength, or other qualities. See Ale. 2. A fermented extract of the roots and other parts of various plants, as spruce, ginger, sassafras, etc. Small beer, weak beer; (fig.) insignificant matters. ``To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer.'' --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Beer Beer, n. [OE. beor, ber, AS. be['o]r; akin to Fries. biar, Icel. bj?rr, OHG. bior, D. & G. bier, and possibly E. brew. [root]93, See Brew.] 1. A fermented liquor made from any malted grain, but commonly from barley malt, with hops or some other substance to impart a bitter flavor. Note: Beer has different names, as small beer, ale, porter, brown stout, lager beer, according to its strength, or other qualities. See Ale. 2. A fermented extract of the roots and other parts of various plants, as spruce, ginger, sassafras, etc. Small beer, weak beer; (fig.) insignificant matters. ``To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer.'' --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If you say that something is small beer, you mean that it is unimportant in comparison with something else. (BRIT) Such roles are small beer compared with the fame she once enjoyed. = peanuts