pick of the litter
ər noun
1.
objects strewn or scattered about; scattered rubbish.
2.
a condition of disorder or untidiness: We were appalled at the litter of the room.
3.
a number of young brought forth by a multiparous animal at one birth: a litter of six kittens.
4.
a framework of cloth stretched between two parallel bars, for the transportation of a sick or wounded person; stretcher.
5.
a vehicle carried by people or animals, consisting of a bed or couch, often covered and curtained, suspended between shafts.
verb (used with object)
9.
to strew (a place) with scattered objects, rubbish, etc.: to be fined for littering the sidewalk.
10.
to scatter (objects) in disorder: They littered their toys from one end of the playroom to the other.
11.
to be strewn about (a place) in disorder (often followed by up ): Bits of paper littered the floor.
12.
to give birth to (young), as a multiparous animal.
13.
to supply (an animal) with litter for a bed.
00:10
Pick of the litter
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
verb (used without object)
Idioms 16.
to give birth to a litter: The cat had littered in the closet.
17.
to strew objects about: If you litter, you may be fined.
18.
pick of the litter,
a.
the best or choicest of the animals, especially puppies, in a litter.
b.
the best of any class, group, or available selection.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English litere bed, litter < Anglo-French; Old French litiere < Medieval Latin lectāria, equivalent to Latin lect(us) bed + -āria feminine of -ārius -er2
1250–1300; Middle English litere bed, litter < Anglo-French; Old French litiere < Medieval Latin lectāria, equivalent to Latin lect(us) bed + -āria feminine of -ārius -er2
Related forms
lit·ter·er, noun
an·ti·lit·ter, adjective
an·ti·lit·ter·ing, adjective
de-lit·ter, verb (used with object)
un·lit·tered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
litter (ˈlɪtə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. small refuse or waste materials carelessly dropped, esp in public places |
| b. (as modifier): litter bin | |
| 2. | a disordered or untidy condition or a collection of objects in this condition |
| 3. | a group of offspring produced at one birth by a mammal such as a sow |
| 4. | a layer of partly decomposed leaves, twigs, etc, on the ground in a wood or forest |
| 5. | straw, hay, or similar material used as bedding, protection, etc, by animals or plants |
| 6. | See cat litter |
| 7. | a means of conveying people, esp sick or wounded people, consisting of a light bed or seat held between parallel sticks |
| —vb | |
| 8. | to make (a place) untidy by strewing (refuse) |
| 9. | to scatter (objects, etc) about or (of objects) to lie around or upon (anything) in an untidy fashion |
| 10. | (of pigs, cats, etc) to give birth to (offspring) |
| 11. | (tr) to provide (an animal or plant) with straw or hay for bedding, protection, etc |
| [C13 (in the sense: bed): via Anglo-French, ultimately from Latin lectus bed] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
litter
c.1300, "a bed," also "bed-like vehicle carried on men's shoulders" (early 14c.), from Anglo-Fr. litere "portable bed," from O.Fr. litiere, from M.L. lectaria "litter" (altered in O.Fr. by influence of lit "bed"), from L. lectus "bed, couch." Meaning extended early 15c. to "straw used for bedding" (early
14c. in Anglo-Fr.) and late 15c. to "offspring of an animal at one birth" (in one bed); sense of "scattered oddments, disorderly debris" is first attested 1730, probably from M.E. verb literen "provide with bedding" (late 14c.), with notion of strewing straw. The verb meaning "to strew with objects" is from 1713. Litterbug first recorded 1947. Littering "act of dropping litter" is from 1960.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
litter lit·ter (lĭt'ər)
n.
A flat supporting framework, such as a piece of canvas stretched between parallel shafts, for carrying a disabled or dead person; a stretcher.
The offspring produced at one birth by a multiparous mammal. Also called brood.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Easton
Bible Dictionary
Litter definition
(Heb. tsab, as being lightly and gently borne), a sedan or palanquin for the conveyance of persons of rank (Isa. 66:20). In Num. 7:3, the words "covered wagons" are more literally "carts of the litter kind." There they denote large and commodious vehicles drawn by oxen, and fitted for transporting the furniture of the temple.
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
pick of the litter
The best of a group, as in He was first in the ticket line so he had the pick of the litter. This term, alluding to the most desirable one from a litter of puppies or kittens, supplanted such earlier variants as pick of the market, pick of the parish, and pick of the basket. [Early 1900s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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