odds and ends

noun
1.
miscellaneous items, matters, etc.
2.
fragments; remnants; scraps; bits.

Origin:
1740–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To odds and ends
Collins
World English Dictionary
odds and ends
 
pl n
miscellaneous items or articles

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Odds and ends is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
We were meeting to nail down the last minute odds and ends that arise in any elaborate production.
To take care of odds and ends, he also accepted bribes in return for government favors.
The staff meal consisted of odds and ends-bits of fish, or a few dozen potatoes.
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT