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odds and ends

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odds and ends

miscellaneous things. There were lots of odds and ends in the attic, but nothing of real value. I had the whole house cleaned out except for a few odds and ends that you might want to keep.

See also: and, end, odds

odds and ends

  (British, American & Australian) also odds and sods (British & Australian informal)

a group of small objects of different types which are not very valuable or important I eventually found my keys buried beneath the odds and ends in the bottom of my bag.

See pay over the odds

See also: and, end, odds

odds and ends

Miscellaneous items, fragments and remnants, as in I've finished putting everything away, except for a few odds and ends. This expression may have originated as odd ends in the mid-1500s, meaning "short leftovers of some material" (such as lumber or cloth). It had acquired its present form and meaning by the mid-1700s.

See also: and, end, odds