different between smidgen vs hairbreadth

English

Alternative forms

• smidge, smidgeon, smidget, smidgin

Etymology

Likely based on a variant of smeddum (“fine powder”), influenced by Scots smitch (“stain, speck”). Confer Northumbrian dialectal English smiddum (“small particle of lead ore; smitham”). Scots smitch may derive from an unattested synonym of Old English sm?tan (“to daub, smear, smudge”): *sm?cgan (“to soil, stain, taint, blacken”). If so, then cognate with smudge.

Alternate etymology connects smidgeon with Scottish Gaelic smidin (“small syllable”), though this is highly improbable considering the implied semantic shift that would have to have occurred.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?sm?d???n/
• Rhymes: -?d??n, -?d??n

Noun

smidgen (plural smidgens)

1. A very small quantity or amount.

   Synonyms: hair's breadth; see also Thesaurus:modicum

Usage notes

Some cookbooks and manufacturers of kitchen measurement sets have attempted to define a smidgen for recipes. Anything between ¹?₂₅ and ¹?₄₈ of a teaspoon may be found, ¹?₃₂ being perhaps the most commonly used. Other commonly used measures for small amounts include tad, dash, pinch, and drop. There seems to be some consensus of tad being the largest in this set and a smidgen being larger than a drop but smaller than a pinch.

Translations

References

Anagrams

• Demings, Dengism

English

Alternative forms

• hairsbreadth
• hair's breadth

Etymology

hair +? breadth

Pronunciation

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /?h???b??d?/

Noun

hairbreadth (plural hairbreadths)

1. the width of a hair, a very short distance or a very small amount
   • 1749: Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

     In short, these kind of hairbreadth missings of happiness look like the insults of Fortune, who may be considered as thus playing tricks with us, and wantonly diverting herself at our expense.

   • 1799: Charles Brockden Brown, Edgar Huntly

     This surely was a day destined to be signalized by hairbreadth escapes.

   • 1856: Wilkie Collins, After Dark

     Measure Maddalena, and measure Minerva, and from forehead to chin, you won't find a hairbreadth of difference between them.