small potatoes

See also: small-potatoes

English

Etymology

A specialization of a sense of potato meaning a thing of little value, and a comment on the low value of a small potato in particular, appearing in its modern form in North America in the mid-19th century (see 1855 quotation).

Pronunciation

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Noun

small potatoes pl (plural only)

1. (idiomatic) One or more persons or things of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.

   My paycheck is small potatoes compared to hers.

   He no longer works for individuals, since they are small potatoes compared to his corporate clients.

   • 1855, Thomas Chandler Haliburton, “Unlocking a Woman's Heart”, in Nature and Human Nature‎^[1], volume 1, page 38:

     It's small potatoes for a man-o-war to be hunting poor game, like us little fore and afters."

   • 2022 October 16, Jenna Scherer, “An enticing House Of The Dragon crowns Westeros' new ruler”, in AV Club‎^[2]:

     The queen may have outwitted Otto, but he’s small potatoes compared to a master opponent like the Lady of Driftmark.

Synonyms

• peanuts (usually of money), small beer, small fry, nobody, no one

Antonyms

• some pumpkins

Translations

small fry — see small fry

Further reading

• John Russell Bartlett (1877) “small potatoes”, in Dictionary of Americanisms: A Glossary of Words and Phrases usually Regarded as Peculiar to the United States, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown, and Company, →OCLC.
• James A. H. Murray [et al.], editors (1884–1928), “Potato”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volumes VII (O–P), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1185, column 2.