odds and ends

noun
1.
miscellaneous items, matters, etc.
2.
fragments; remnants; scraps; bits.
Origin
1740-50
Examples from the web for odds and ends
  • We were meeting to nail down the last minute odds and ends that arise in any elaborate production.
  • The staff meal consisted of odds and ends-bits of fish, or a few dozen potatoes.
  • To take care of odds and ends, he also accepted bribes in return for government favors.
British Dictionary definitions for odds and ends

odds and ends

plural noun
1.
miscellaneous items or articles
Slang definitions & phrases for odds and ends

odds and ends

noun phrase

A miscellany of leftovers, outsizes, scraps, unmatched bits, etc (mid-1700s+)


Idioms and Phrases with odds and ends

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.