ldoce_730_zlit·tle1 /ˈlɪtl/ ●●● S1 W1 adjectiveadj 1 size 尺寸SMALL [usually before noun] small in size 小的 a cake decorated with little flowers 点缀着小花的蛋糕
She was cutting the meat up into little bits. 她把肉切成小丁。
little tiny/tiny little spoken (=extremely small) 极小的,丁点大的 a little tiny puppy 丁点大的小狗
little bitty American EnglishAmE spoken (=extremely small) 极小的
a little something informal (=a small present, or a small amount of food) 小礼物;少量的食物 I’d like to buy him a little something to thank him. 我想给他买样小东西谢谢他。
► see thesaurus at small 2 SMALLSTH you like or dislike 喜欢或厌恶之物 [only before noun] used between an adjective and a noun to emphasize that you like or dislike something or someone, although they are not important, impressive etc 小的〔用于形容词和名词之间,强调喜欢或厌恶〕 It could be a nice little business. 这可能是一门不错的小生意。
a useful little gadget 一件有用的小玩意儿
It was another of her silly little jokes. 这是她开的另一个愚蠢的小玩笑。
a boring little man 一个无趣的小男人
poor little thing (=used to show sympathy) 可怜的小东西〔表示同情〕 The poor little thing had hurt its wing. 这可怜的小东西翅膀受伤了。
3 a little bit a) a small amount of something 少量a little bit of With a little bit of luck we should finish by five o’clock. 我们有点运气的话,5点钟之前应该能完成。
I’m going to give you a little bit of advice. 我要给你一点小小的建议。
Let me tell you a little bit about myself. 我来给你稍微讲讲我自己吧。
b) slightly or to a small degree 少许,一点 I was a little bit disappointed. 我有点失望。
a little bit• I prefer to talk a little bit.• I really just did it for a little bit, and then gave it up.• There was, I suspect, a little bit of Otago isolationism involved.• He was even maybe a little bit relieved, because immediately it was clear that Ernie was what she needed. 4 time/distance 时间/距离NEARSHORT TIME [only before noun] short in time or distance 短时间的;短距离的 You could have a little sleep in the car. 你可以在车里小睡一会儿。
We walked a little way along this path. 我们沿着这条小路走了一小段。
He arrived a little while ago. 他刚到一会儿。
5 young 年幼的YOUNG little children are young 年轻的,幼小的 We didn’t have toys like this when I was little. 在我小时候,我们没有这样的玩具。
little boy/girl two little boys playing in the street 两个在街上玩耍的小男孩
somebody’s little boy/girl (=someone’s son or daughter who is still a child) 某人的小儿子/女儿〔指尚未成年〕 Mum, I’m 17 – I’m not your little girl any longer. 妈,我17岁了——我不再是你的小女孩了。
somebody’s little brother/sister (=a younger brother or sister who is still a child) 某人的小弟弟/妹妹〔指仍然是孩子〕 Her little brother and sister were fighting again. 她年幼的弟弟和妹妹又在打架了。
► see thesaurus at young 6 LITTLE/NOT VERYslight 轻微的 [only before noun] done in a way that is not very noticeable 微弱的;不明显的;轻微的 Nicolo gave a little nod of his head. 尼科洛微微点了点头。
7 unimportant 不重要的 [only before noun] a) LITTLE/NOT VERYnot important 不重要的 She gets very angry over little things. 她为一点小事就会很生气。
There isn’t time to discuss every little detail. 没有时间讨论每一个琐碎的细节了。
b) IMPORTANTnot important – used when you really think that something is important 微不足道的〔指实际上认为某事很重要〕 There’s just that little matter of the £5,000 you owe me. 就是你欠我5,000英镑这件小事情。
8 (just) that little bit better/easier etc LITTLE/NOT MUCHbetter, easier etc by a small amount that will have an important effect (就)更好/更简单一点等〔指量少而效果大〕 Working fewer hours will make life just that little bit easier for me. 工作时间少几个小时就会让我的生活轻松一点。
(just) that little bit better/easier etc• We have put together a few of the most popular itineraries to help make your choice that little bit easier. 9. the little woman old-fashionedMARRY someone’s wife – often used humorously but now considered offensive by many women 老婆,婆娘〔指某人的妻子;常为幽默用法,但现在许多妇女认为此说法具有冒犯性〕 → a little bird told me at bird(4)5 GRAMMAR 语法You can say smaller or smallest , but ‘littler’ and ‘littlest’ are not often used. 可以说 smaller 或 smallest,但 'littler' 和 'littlest' 很罕见
Her feet are even smaller (NOT 不说 littler/more little) than mine.她的脚比我的还要小 。
You can use words like ‘quite’, ‘very’, and ‘too’ in front of small , but do not use them with little . 可在 small 前用 'quite'、'very'、'too' 等词,但不能在 little 前使用
a very small car (NOT 不说 a very little car)一辆非常小的汽车
n GrammarOrder of adjectives
If there is more than one adjective, the adjectives are usually used in a fixed order.
You say: What a pretty little cottage!
✗Don’t say: What a little pretty cottage! You say: I bought a little black bag.
✗Don’t say: I bought a black little bag. Comparatives
You can say smaller or smallest, but ‘littler’ and ‘littlest’ are not often used. You say: 可以说 smaller 或 smallest,但 'littler' 和 'littlest' 很罕见Her feet are even smaller than mine. 她的脚比我的还要小 。
✗Don’t say: Her feet are even littler than mine. | Her feet are more little than mine.