dribs and drabs

American  

plural noun

1. small and usually irregular amounts.

   He repaid the loan in dribs and drabs.

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dribs and drabs British  

/ drɪbz /

plural noun

1. small sporadic amounts

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dribs and drabs Idioms  

1. Bits and pieces, negligible amounts, as in There's not much left, just some dribs and drabs of samples. The noun drib is thought to be a shortening of driblet, for “drop” or “tiny quantity,” dating from the early 1700s, whereas drab meaning “a small sum of money” dates from the early 1800s.

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