Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) a glass of undiluted spirits.

1838		J.C. Neal Charcoal Sketches (1865) III 23: Bring us one of the largest kind of smallers, a tumbler full of brandy and water, without no water in it.
1872		Schele De Vere Americanisms 316: The usual small glass of simple spirits is technically known as a smaller.

(UK society) an informal dance (as opposed to a full-scale ball), to which few guests are invited and which starts early and ends before midnight; also attrib.

1845		Illus. London News 3 May 278: Lady Lyndhurst gave a ‘carpet’ dance on Tuesday night, at the residence of the Lord Chancellor, in George-street, Hanover square. it was a small and early party, at which about 250 fashionables assembled.
1865		Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1994) 131: For the clearing off of these worthies, Mrs. Podsnap added a small and early evening to the dinner.
1887		Bulletin (Sydney) 15 Oct. 12/1: What was the result of it all? We burn with shame (for Mayor Cain) to say merely a ‘small and early,’ or what they call a ‘Cinderella’ dance – a ‘hop’ of the most commonplace and unpretentious description.
1891		S. Wales Echo 28 May 4/1: ‘Are you going to give a “small and early” — the fifth “small and early” this season?’.
1910		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘Young Actresses’ Sporting Times 8 Oct. 1/3: She sometimes unexpectedly reveals / Her proficiency in that line at my ‘small and early’ teas.
1932		Morn. News (Wilmington, DE) 9 Apr. 7/8: Two series of ‘Small and Early’ dances have been held in Wilmington.

an insignificant thing; usu. in negative.

1908		Sporting Times 25 July 1/2: He is a shady, a very shady, financier, but he thinks no small beans of himself. ‘I’m a gentleman all right,’ he says, ‘though I may not ’ave blue blood in my veins.’.
1952		B. Appel Plunder (2005) 268: Our deal in gasoline’s going to look like small beans next to the deal I’ve got lined up now.
1961		P. Stevenson Old father Antic 36: Aw sure, he made a strike on a work project one time. But that was small beans.
1973		Pittsburgh Post-Gaz. (PA) 14 Nov. 10/5: I always considered you up there in the Big Time. Now everyone knows you were only small beans.
1978		S. King Stand (1990) 57: His own sudden good fortune probably looked small bananas to Wayne.
1983		S. King Christine 413: The main target was not Arnie, who was small beans, but Will Darnell.
1996		J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 227: And she’d starred as an extraterrestrial sheila in eight episodes of that grand old knobbly, ‘Dr Who’. I mean, that’s not real small pickles if you ask me.
2008		Raymond & Spiegelman How to Rig an Election 95: Even Newt himself was small beans compared to Haley, because Haley controlled the RNC’s money.

see separate entries.

see separate entry.

(US) trivial, insignificant.

1900

Congressional Record 14 Feb. 1804/2: No small-bore, two-by-four, radical politicians can hurt that great court [DA].

(US black) anything insignificant, esp. a small amount of money.

1959

Esquire Nov. 70I: crumbs: a small amount of money. Small bread.

see separate entries.

a dram.

1933

‘William Juniper’ True Drunkard’s Delight 228: You may have a [...] small cheque.

(UK und.) a clergyman.

1730

Proc. Old Bailey 90/2: Beck. Boys, says he, here’s a Smallcoal-man, let us stop him, for they wear the best of Hats Court. A Smallcoal-man, what did he mean by that. Beck. A Parson. We always call a Parson a Smallcoal-man, because their Dresses are pretty much alike.

that which is inferior, worthless, second-rate.

1860

Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.

a euph. for the lavatory in a private house.

1930		A. Lyall It isn’t Done 59: It is all very baffling for the uninitiated foreigner [...] who when his host offers to ‘show him the geography of the house’ finds that his tour begins and ends with the smallest and most strictly utilitarian room.
1948		Dly Herald 15 June 3/6: [advert for Harpic lavatory cleaner] Secret of the Smallest Room.
1955		Picture Post 15 Jan. 47: [advert for Harpic lavatory cleaner] Every day, your ‘smallest room’ needs a cleaner strong enough to scour right round the S-bend.
1975		D. Nobbs Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976) 224: The smallest room in the house was situated at the top of the stairs.
1980		M. Melamu ‘Bad Times, Sad Times’ in Mutloatse Forced Landing 46: ‘Where’ve you been, wise guy?’ [...] ‘I’ve been to the small house.’.
1983		(con. 1940s) D. Nobbs Second From Last in the Sack Race 135: ‘I need the smallest room in the house,’ said Uncle Teddy. ‘Where is it?’.
1988		J. McDonald Dict. of Obscenity etc.
1995		Sydney Morn. Herald 16 Dec. 170/3: We don’t often appreciate the smallest room in the house.
2005		R. Candappa Retox Diet 92: The end result is that when you do visit the smallest room in the house, the pristine porcelain will often end up looking as if [etc.].

(orig. US) a very large sum of money, esp. when paid out for some commodity.

1903

Bulletin (Sydney) 9 July 36/1: As to sore backs. These undoubtedly do occur, and the animal has such an immobile and hard-faced expression of countenance (’twould be a small fortune to a poker player), that one cannot tell whether he is pleased or otherwise with the same.

1. to rob in the street.

1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 420/2: Everything was torn off my back, and the bread was taken away from me, and because I said a word I got well walloped (renewed laughter). They ‘small-ganged’ me.
1876		Leamington Spa Courier (Warwicks.) 9 Dec. 8/2: The victim was duly ‘small-ganged’ and pillaged.
1881		H. Dalton Sketches of Vagrant Life 5/1: They ‘small-ganged me’ me; and afterwards I went seven days to prison because they tore my clothes.

2. in fig. use.

1893

Chelmsford Chron. (Essex) 10 Mar. 3/3: I sould be ‘small-ganged’ if I went to work for 1s. a day.

(US gay) a small penis.

1965		Guild Dict. Homosexual Terms 42: small meat (n.): A small penis; the homosexual rarely becomes generous in appraisal of anything under 8 inches.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular.
2003		K. Cage Gayle 87/1: PLM (abbr.) Princess Little Meat – someone with a very small penis.

(US gambling) a bet of $50.

1961		J. Scarne Complete Guide to Gambling.
2003		M. Wiesenberg ‘Poker Dictionary’ on Planet Poker 🌐 small nickel (n phrase) 1. A $50 bill. 2. $50 in cash. 3. $50 in chips.

(US) an alto saxophone.

1957

E. Horne For Cool Cats and Far-Out Chicks [W&F].

see separate entries.

(US) someone or something insignificant, unimportant.

1973		G.V. Higgins Digger’s Game (1981) 108: He was small shit and he was happy being small shit.
1978		S. King Stand (1990) 1320: Without me, the best you could have done was small shit.
2020		D. Winslow ‘Broken’ in Broken 4: Passed up the small shit, waited for Oscar to make his big play.

(US) a term of address to a short person, slightly derog.

c.1943		‘Bill O. Lading’ You Chirped a Chinful!! n.p.: Gimme dat hammer, small stuff.
2005		Hartford Courant (CT) 5 Dec. A09/3: ‘Hey, you, small stuff, are you any good at the gymnastics floor routine?’.

see separate entries.