A Few

Definition: A Few

A Few

Adjective

1. More than one but indefinitely small in number; "a few roses"; "a couple of roses".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Synonyms: A Few

Caution

Ante victoriam ne canas triumphum; "give, every man thine ear but few thy voice"; he who laughs last laughs best, il rit bien qui rit le dernier; ni firmes carta que no leas ni bebas agua que no veas; nescit vox missa reverti; " love all, trust a few "; noli irritare leones; safe bind safe find; " if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Conciseness

Adverb: concisely; Adjective: briefly, summarily; in brief, in short, in a word, in a few words; for shortness sake; to come to the point, to make a long story short, to cut the matter short, to be brief; it comes to this, the long and the short of it is.

Multitude

Adjective: many, several, sundry, divers, various, not a few; Briarean; a hundred, a thousand, a myriad, a million, a quadrillion, a nonillion, a thousand and one; some ten or a dozen, some forty or fifty; half a dozen, half a hundred; very many, full many, ever so many; numerous; numerose; profuse, in profusion; manifold, multiplied, multitudinous, multiple, multinominal, teeming, populous, peopled, crowded, thick, studded; galore.

Plurality

Noun: plurality; a number, a certain number; one or two, two or three; a few, several; multitude; majority.

Adjective: plural, more than one, upwards of; some, several, a few; certain; not alone.

Quantity

Adjective: quantitative, some, any, aught, more or less, a few.

Crosswords: A Few

These tracks are just a few days old. (Memento; writing credit: Bo Goldman; Lawrence Hauben)

I pulled a few strings. (From Here to Eternity; writing credit: Ernest Tidyman)

Or, maybe make a few friends among us cons. (The Shawshank Redemption; writing credit: Frank Darabont)

Bad enough to wake up a few Generals. (Hollow Man; writing credit: Gary Scott Thompson; Andrew W. Marlowe)

I've followed a few. (Life of Brian; writing credit: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.)

I've had a few little love affairs (Lay All Your Love On Me; performing artist: Abba)

A FEW QUESTIONS THAT I NEED TO KNOW (Never Ever; performing artist: All Saints)

And, since we 'bout to go, in a few (If I Could Go; performing artist: Angie Martinez)

Could've used a few pounds (Night Moves; performing artist: BOB SEGER; writing credit: Bob Seger)

With a few red lights and a few old beds (Smoke on the Water; performing artist: Deep Purple)

I wished the buck stopped here, as I could use a few. (references; author: unknown)

Old folks say, "I wish� the buck stopped here. I sure could use a few. (references; author: unknown)

Passion: There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue those. (references; author: unknown)

Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but he she can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake. (references; author: unknown)

A Few Notes on Our Food Problem (1968)

Love with a Few Hairs (1967)

A Private Little Party for a Few Chums (1957)

Just a Few Little Things (1916)

Edith Ann: A Few Pieces of the Puzzle (1994)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• The Everything Dog Training and Tricks Book: Turn the Most Mischievous Canine into a Well-Behaved Dog Who Knows a Few Tricks (Everything Series) (reference)

• The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries (reference)

• What They'll Never Tell You About the Music Business: The Myths, Secrets, Lies (& a Few Truths) (reference)

  (more book examples)

Theater & Movies

• A Few Good Men (Special Edition) (reference)

• The Man With No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Music From 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' & 'A Fistful Of Dollars' & 'For A Few Dollars More' (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

(4) color slides show different types of candy. (1) group of four gummy bears, (1) group of two gum drops, (1) package of M & M's next to a few single M & M's, (1) three single M & M's. Credit: Renee Comet (photographer).

(1) color slide shows a small box of Sunmaid Raisins next to a few single raisins. Credit: Renee Comet (photographer).

Both macro- and microgametocytes are products of the erythrocytic cycle. Within a few minutes after the proper anopheline vector ingests the gametocytes, microgametocytes develop into microgametes which are able to fertilize macrogametocytes. Credit: CDC.

Histopathology of lung shows widened alveolar septum containing a few inflammatory cells and numerous yeasts of Cryptococcus neoformans. Credit: CDC.

"Ethane" by Daniel Bentham and Staffan Björkenstam. Use the Scrollbar to vary A and C. High resolution, may take a few seconds to generate.

"Asterias" by Rainer Wonisch. Very high resolution; might take a few seconds to generate.

Astronomers have long been mystified by observations of a few hot, bright, apparently young ... Credit: NASA.

Lt. Ken Perrin catching a few winks after a hard day installing a tide gauge Boston Whaler off WHITING. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

Emmett Sheridan, left center, with III Corps artillery headquarters Picture taken a few days after Japanese surrender. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

Cactus growing south of the Kohala Mountains just a few miles from tropical rainforest. Cattle on the Parker Ranch grazing in the distance. Credit: America's Coastlines.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

A few established laws served the turn, and the discretion and care of the ruler supplied the rest. (Second Treatise of Government)

It has agglomerated production, and has concentrated property in a few hands. (reference)

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. (reference)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

He must be gone within a few hours, though without feeling any real alarm for his aunt, to lessen his repugnance.

I moved away a few steps, and waited to follow her into the carriage, where I resumed the conversation.

Any sophisticated knowledgable person, who had knocked about, seen a few things, would probably have remarked on how much the craft looked like a filing cabinet--a large and recently burgled filing cabinet lying on its back with its drawers in the air and flying.

At noon the doctor came again, left a few prescriptions, inquired if the mayor had been at the infirmary, and shook his head.

It would be lovely in a few minutes.

We can use quite a few.

I answered they were innumerable, but I should only mention a few of the chief.

A little bread or a few potatoes would have done as well, with less trouble and filth.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

They often go away after a few hours. (references)

Cultures take a few days to complete. (references)

Often they are only a few pages in length. (references)

Business

Fire extinguishers are distributed by a few specialized firms. (references)

A few European airlines are interested by this type of arrangement. (references)

This makes composing anything more than a few lines of text cumbersome. (references)

Children

Cote d'Ivoire

Many children leave school after only a few years. (references)

Afghanistan

In a few areas, over 50 percent of students reportedly were girls. (references)

Uganda

The UPDF at times detained LRA child soldiers at Gulu military barracks for a few weeks or months. (references)

Civil Liberties

Russia

A few are asylum seekers. (references)

Cote d'Ivoire

A few students were arrested and detained briefly. (references)

Niger

A few Chadian refugee families remain in the country. (references)

Economic History

Guyana

A few offerings were less than successful. (references)

Albania

A few venture capital funds invest in Albania. (references)

Latvia

A few changes will take place in the registration process. (references)

Human Rights

Equatorial Guinea

Political detentions seldom lasted more than a few months. (references)

Brazil

Police succeeded in recapturing only a few of the escapees. (references)

Gambia

Periods of detention ranged from a few hours to several weeks. (references)

Indigenous People

Norway

The killing received considerable attention in the media, and several antiracism associations mobilized marches and other demonstrations against racism a few days after the killing. (references)

Gabon

NGO workers visited more than a dozen villages and found that most Pygmies there lived in conditions tantamount to slavery, working on plantations for "masters" for one plate of rice and a few cents per day. (references)

Canada

The Federal Government continued to be involved in self-government negotiations with over 350 First Nations, and several self-government agreements-in-principle (agreed upon by negotiators) and a few final agreements were in advanced stages of negotiations at year's end. (references)

Minorities

Vanuatu

Small minorities of Chinese, Fijians, Vietnamese, Tongans, and Europeans generally are concentrated in two towns and on a few plantations. (references)

Pakistan

On March 12, men broke into the Lourdes Convent and attacked Sister Christine, a 78-year-old nun; she died in a nearby hospital a few days later. (references)

Yemen

Their numbers have diminished significantly--from several tens of thousands to a few hundred--due to voluntary emigration over the past 50 years. (references)

Political Economy

Croatia

Security forces committed a few abuses. (references)

CHILE

Chile offers a few non-market incentives to exporters. (references)

Costa Rica

A few irritants arise periodically in the relationship. (references)

Political Rights

Egypt

At a few locations, the security presence was so heavy as to inhibit voters' access to the polls. (references)

Belarus

Presidential decrees issued when the legislature is out of session have the force of law, except--in theory--in a few cases specified in the 1996 Constitution. (references)

Korea

The legislature, the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), which meets only a few days per year, serves only to rubber-stamp resolutions presented to it by the party leadership. (references)

Trade

Sri Lanka

A few items are at 5 percent and 35 percent. (references)

Slovak Rep

However a few are based in Zilina, Banska Bystrica, and Kosice. (references)

Cote D'ivoire

Only textile products are subject to a few authorization requirements. (references)

Travel

Czech Rep

Start slowly by building a few good relationships. (references)

Armenia

A few banks have started to cash travelers' checks. (references)

Cyprus

Installation services are offered within a few days notice. (references)

Women

Somalia

A few rapes were prosecuted during the year. (references)

India

The practice almost has ended, although there have been a few cases since Independence. (references)

Senegal

A few Muslim religious leaders also criticized the law because they consider FGM to be a religious practice. (references)

Worker Rights

New Zealand

A few small, independent labor unions also exist. (references)

Uruguay

Most complaints are resolved within a few months. (references)

China

Tibetan curriculum high schools exist in a few areas. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "a few": a few days ♦ a few days later ♦ a few doors off ♦ a few friends ♦ a few miles distant ♦ a few more ♦ a few more days ♦ a few of ♦ a few times ♦ a few weeks ♦ allow me to point out a few mistakes ♦ be only a few removes from ♦ dash of a few lines ♦ have a few ♦ in a few days ♦ in a few minutes ♦ it is a matter of a few days ♦ not a few ♦ only a few ♦ quite a few ♦ shed a few tears. Additional references.

Afrikaans

sommige (a, any, some), enkele (a, any, some), enige (a, any, some, whichever, whoever). (various references)

Albanian

shumë (amount, awful, awfully, badly, confoundedly, considerably, consumedly, damnably, dearly, deep, deuced, devilish, ever so, far, far and away, good few, greatly, heap, heartily, highly, jolly, largely, like mad, lot, lots of, lump, many, million, most, much, no end of, not a few, notedly, number, oodles, passing, passingly, Peck, poly-, precious, price, proceeds, quantum, quite, really, remarkably, scrip, so, sorely, sum, summation, thumping, too, tot, total, totality, umpteen, vastly, very, very much, widely), mjaft (come on, enough, fairly, noticeably, pretty, quite, quite a few, rather, reasonably, richly, Satis, sufficiently, that's enough, well). (various references)

Arabic 

‏عدد متوسط (quite a few). (various references)

Bulgarian 

роня сълзи (shed a few tears), не малко (not a few), мнозина (not a few, very many), порядъчно много (quite a few), доста много (pretty, quite a few). (various references)

Chinese 

幾 (almost, how many, how much, several), 兩 (both, ounce, some, tael, two), � (how many, small table), 一些 (a little, some). (various references)

Czech

ani trochu (not a bit, not a few, not a little), nemálo (quite a few), nahodit na papír pár řádkù (dash of a few lines), hezkých pár (quite a few). (various references)

Danish

astmasymptomer viser sig som regel ikke før efter få timers forløb,og de forværres ved fysisk anstrengelse.Hvile og lægetilsyn er derfor vigtigt (the symptoms of asthma often do not become manifest until a few hours have passed and they are aggravated by physical effort.Rest and medical observation is therefore essential), aaringen fremkommer ved,at de store korn indeholder mindre omraader,hvis krystalgitre afviger nogle faa grader indbyrdes i orientering (disoriented by a few degrees in relation to each other, the veining occurs because the large crystal grains contain small domains), under visse driftsbetingelser kan apparater, hvori elektroner accelereres, og som arbejder ved spaendinger hoejere end nogle faa kV, udsende straaling (under certain operating conditions electron accelerating devices working at voltages greater than a few kV may emit radiation), tykkelsen af det lag,der indeholder soemmene,er nogle centimeter;det omfatter altsaa foruden den meget finkornede randzone ogsaa soejlekrystallisationszonen (and thus both the columnar as well as the very fine-grained surface zone are involved, the thickness of metal containing the solidification contours is of the order of a few centimeters), symptomerne på lungeødem viser sig ofte ikke før få timer senere,og de forværres ved fysisk anstrengelse.Hvile og lægetilsyn er derfor vigtigt (the symptoms of lung oedema often do not become manifest until a few hours have passed and they are aggravated by physical effort.Rest and medical observation is therefore essential), overfoerelse udfra et mindre antal basispunkter,som er indbyrdes strengt forbundne,saaledes at man undgaar ophobninger af fejl,som fremkaldes af kaedeoverfoerelser (setting out based on a few strictly interrelated reference points, thus avoiding cumulation of errors due to many successive measurements), nogle faa grader celcius derover optraeder meget smaa,nye korn,der vokser og derpaa stoeder sammen,det er den egentlige rekrystallisation (on increasing the temperature by a few degrees celsius very small new grains appear which grow and link up, this is recrystallization), nogle arbejdsmedicinske laboratorier benytter taelling af basofile granulocyter,andre maaler bly-og/eller coproporphyrinindeholdet i urin (some industrial hygiene laboratories use stippled counts; a few, urinary lead and/or coproporphyrin levels), med maaske nogle faa undtagelser i producerende formationer med lavt tryk eller i formationer,som er tynde og underkastet et svagt vandtryk,er produktion gennem perforeringer klart at foretraekke frem for produktion fra uforet hul (the benefits of the perforated completion overshadow those of the open hole type, with perhaps a few exceptions in low pressure or thin water-drive pay areas), kun nogle faa korn aetses meget moerke,de ligger fordelt i et netvaerk (only a few particles are darkly stained and can be seen to form a network type of distribution), hvis hudens tykkelse gaar ned til nogle mm,kan gasblaererne undertiden udmunde i overfladen.Efter genopvarmningen i dybovnen oxyderes de og viser saa linier paa overfladen af det valsede produkt (there is a risk that the blowholes will be exposed at the surface after reheating in the soaking pits. If this happens, they become oxidized and give rise to seams on the rolled products, when the thickness of the skin drops to a few millimetres), ethvert elektronroer, som arbejder ved en spaending paa over nogle faa tusinde volt, kan vaere en kilde til roentgenstraaling (any electronic tube operating at a potential above a few thousand volts may be a source of X-radiation), disse forgreninger,der vokser i nogle faa foretrukne retninger,deler sig i yderligere sidegrene (branches which grow forward in a few special directions form side branches), der tilsaettes nogle draaber af en frisk tilberedt 0,5%'s vandig oploesning af xylenolorange og titreres med en 1/10 N-komplexon III oploesning,til farven slaar om fra rosa til citrongult (add a few drops of a 0.5% freshly prepared aqueous solution of xylenol orange and titrate with an N/10 solution of Complexon III until the pink changes to citron yellow). (various references)

Dutch

als de temperatuur enkele graden Celcius wordt verhoogd,verschijnen zeer kleine nieuwe korrels die groeien en dan aansluiten;dit is rekristallisatie (on increasing the temperature by a few degrees celsius very small new grains appear which grow and link up, this is recrystallization), als de dikte van de huid tot enkele millimeters is afgenomen,bestaat het gevaar dat de gasblazen onder bepaalde omstandigheden aan de oppervlakte treden na herverhitten in blokovens.Als dit het geval is,oxyderen zij en geven strepen op de gewalste produkt (there is a risk that the blowholes will be exposed at the surface after reheating in the soaking pits. If this happens, they become oxidized and give rise to seams on the rolled products, when the thickness of the skin drops to a few millimetres), slechts enkele korrels zijn donker gekleurd;deze zijn als een netwerk door de structuur verdeeld (only a few particles are darkly stained and can be seen to form a network type of distribution), met misschien een paar uitzonderingen,zoals bij produktielagen onder lage druk of dunne produktielagen met waterstuwing,is putafwerking d.m.v.perforatie verre te verkiezen boven de open-gatmethode (the benefits of the perforated completion overshadow those of the open hole type, with perhaps a few exceptions in low pressure or thin water-drive pay areas), men voegt een paar druppels van een vers bereide,waterige 0,5% dimethylphenoloranje-oplossing toe en titreert met een oplossing van complexon III 0,1 n totdat het rose omslaat naar citroengeel (add a few drops of a 0.5% freshly prepared aqueous solution of xylenol orange and titrate with an N/10 solution of Complexon III until the pink changes to citron yellow), maatuitzetting uitgaande van slechts enkele hoofdmeetpunten welke onderling nauwkeurig aan elkaar zijn gekoppeld,zodat een cumulatie van fouten van achter elkaar te verrichten maatuitzettingen wordt vermeden (setting out based on a few strictly interrelated reference points, thus avoiding cumulation of errors due to many successive measurements), in sommige bedrijfskundige laboratoria wordt telling van de basofielgekorrelde cellen toegepast; in andere wordt het lood- of coproporphyrinegehalte in de urine gemeten (some industrial hygiene laboratories use stippled counts; a few, urinary lead and/or coproporphyrin levels), in bepaalde bedrijfsomstandigheden kunnen inrichtingen die werken met elektronenversnelling en met spanningen van meer dan einige kV, straling uitzenden (under certain operating conditions electron accelerating devices working at voltages greater than a few kV may emit radiation), iedere elektronenbuis die met spanningen van meer dan een paar duizend volts werkt, kan een bron van rontgenstraling vormen (any electronic tube operating at a potential above a few thousand volts may be a source of X-radiation), de verschijnselen van een longoedeem openbaren zich vaak pas na enige uren en worden verergerd door lichamelijke inspanning.Rust en medische observatie zijn derhalve noodzakelijk (the symptoms of lung oedema often do not become manifest until a few hours have passed and they are aggravated by physical effort.Rest and medical observation is therefore essential), de verschijnselen van astma openbaren zich pas na enige uren en worden verergerd door lichamelijke inspanning.Rust en medische observatie zijn derhalve noodzakelijk (the symptoms of asthma often do not become manifest until a few hours have passed and they are aggravated by physical effort.Rest and medical observation is therefore essential), de takken,die in enkele preferente richtingen groeien,vormen zijtakken (branches which grow forward in a few special directions form side branches), de dikte van de laag die de stollingscontouren bevat,bedraagt enkele centimeters;zij omvat dan ook zowel de fijnkorrelige randzone als de zone met stengelkristallen (and thus both the columnar as well as the very fine-grained surface zone are involved, the thickness of metal containing the solidification contours is of the order of a few centimeters). (various references)

Finnish

muutamat (some), muutama (some), jotkut harvat, jokunen (some). (various references)

French

quelques. (various references)

Frisian

in pear (any, some). (various references)

German

einige (any, few, several, some, some kind of), ein paar (a couple of, any, some). (various references)

Greek 

μερικά, μερικοί (few, several, some, sundry). (various references)

Haitian Creole

detwa. (various references)

Hawaiian

disa (any, some). (various references)

Hebrew 

קצת (little, slightly, some, somewhat, trifle), אח�"ים (couple, several, some, various). (various references)

Hungarian

néhány (one or two, several, some, to get off with a scratch or two, two or three), egynéhány, egy kevés (a little, a smack of, modicum, modicum of, some, something of, somewhat, suspicion, touch). (various references)

Indonesian

segelintir (a little amount of), berbilang (some). (various references)

Italian

qualche (a certain amount of, any, few, some). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

幾つか , 一二 (the first and second). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

いくつか, いちに (the first and second). (various references)

Manx

beggan (faintly, little, partly, slightly, small piece, somewhat). (various references)

Norwegian

noen få. (various references)

Papiamen

algun (any, some). (various references)

Pig Latin

aay ewfay.(various references)

Polish

kilkoro (any, some), kilka (any, some), jacyś (any, some). (various references)

Portuguese

alguns (a couple of, any, every, several, some), algumas (a couple of, every, some), alguma (any, every, some), algum (any, anybody, every, some, some kind of, some one, something), uns poucos. (various references)

Romanian

permiteţi-mi sã semnalez câteva greşeli (allow me to point out a few mistakes), nu puţini (not a few), mulţi (many, not a few, numerous, umpteen), la câteva case mai încolo (a few doors off), este o chestiune de câteva zile (it is a matter of a few days), de la o distanţã de câteva mile (a few miles distant). (various references)

Russian 

несколько (one or two, several, several [], some). (various references)

Scottish

beagan (a little, small number or quantity). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

proliti nekoliko suza (shed a few tears), ni nekoliko (not a few), nekoliko (few, few: a few, fewest, good few, several, some), mnogo (deal: a good deal, deal: a great deal, deal: a great deal of, great, lot, lot: a lot of, lots of, many, much, multi, plenty, plenty of, quite a few, vastly, very). (various references)

Spanish

unos (about, any, few, some), unas (any, some). (various references)

Swedish

några få. (various references)

Tagalog

ilán (any, some). (various references)

Turkish

birkaç (a number of, one or two, several), bírkaç (any, some). (various references)

Ukrainian

небагато (few, little, only a few, some few, somewhat). (various references)

Zulu

isikhashana (a few minutes, a moment). (various references)

aliquod, aliquot, nonnulli, pauci, paucis, paucorum, paucos, pauculas. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Misspellings

"A Few" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: afew. (additional references)

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: awe, few, wae.

-2 letters: ae, aw, ef, fa, we.

+1 letter: wafer.

+2 letters: fawned, fawner, flawed, waeful, wafers, wafery, waffed, waffie, waffle, wafted, wafter, waifed.

+3 letters: alewife, bedwarf, dewfall, dwarfed, dwarfer, fanwise, fawners, fawnier, flawier, flowage, forepaw, foresaw, freeway, fretsaw, lifeway, peafowl, seafowl, wafered, waffies, waffled, waffler, waffles, waftage, wafters, wafture, wakeful, wamefou, wameful, warfare, waveoff, welfare, wharfed.

+4 letters: awfuller, bedwarfs, dewfalls, dwarfest, facedown, fadeaway, fallowed, farewell, farmwife, farrowed, fawniest, fawnlike, firewall, firmware, flatware, flatwise, flawiest, flawless, fleawort, flowages, footwear, forepaws, forewarn, forswear, freeware, freeways, fretsaws, giftware, guffawed, kalewife, leafworm, leftward, lifeways, peafowls, sawflies, seafowls, selfward, software, upwafted, wafering, wafflers, waftages, waftures, waiflike, wakerife, wamefous, wamefuls, warfares, wasteful, waveform, waveoffs, wayfarer, weakfish, weariful, welfares, wharfage, wheyface, workfare.