dribs and drabs
C1Informal, primarily spoken and written narrative.
Definition
Meaning
Small, irregular, or infrequent amounts of something.
Refers to things or people arriving or being dealt with in small, scattered groups or portions rather than all at once.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Always used in plural form. Implies a sense of fragmentation, inconvenience, or inefficiency due to the scattered nature of the amounts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Slightly more common in British English, but well-understood and used in American English.
Connotations
Often carries a mildly negative or impatient connotation, suggesting the speaker would prefer a larger, more consolidated amount or group.
Frequency
Common in everyday speech and informal writing in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] come/arrive/trickle in dribs and drabs.We receive/got [object] in dribs and drabs.Do something in dribs and drabs.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Trickle in”
- “In fits and starts”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"The quarterly payments arrived in dribs and drabs, making cash flow management challenging."
Academic
"The archival data was recovered in dribs and drabs from various fragmented sources."
Everyday
"Guests turned up for the party in dribs and drabs throughout the evening."
Technical
Rare; more likely in project management: "The test results came back from the lab in dribs and drabs."
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The funding has been dribbling and drabbing in for months.
- They didn't send the forms in one batch; they just dribbed and drabbed them over.
American English
- News about the merger has been dribbling and drabbing out all week.
- The company dribbed and drabbed out the layoff announcements.
adverb
British English
- The applications arrived dribs-and-drabsly throughout the day.
American English
- Payments were made dribs-and-drabsly, not on a regular schedule.
adjective
British English
- It was a very dribs-and-drabs kind of process, utterly frustrating.
- We're tired of the dribs-and-drabs approach to policy announcements.
American English
- The campaign had a dribs-and-drabs fundraising strategy.
- Avoid a dribs-and-drabs release schedule for the software updates.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The children came into the classroom in dribs and drabs after lunch.
- The historical facts about the event have emerged in dribs and drabs over the last decade.
- The humanitarian aid, arriving in dribs and drabs due to the blocked routes, was insufficient to stem the crisis.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a leaky faucet: water doesn't flow in a stream but in 'dribs' (tiny drops) and 'drabs' (small splashes).
Conceptual Metaphor
QUANTITY IS SIZE / COMPLETENESS IS A SOLID MASS (Fragmented amounts are seen as incomplete and less desirable.)
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating literally as 'капли и брызги'. Use 'понемногу', 'маленькими порциями', or 'кое-как' depending on context.
Common Mistakes
- Using a singular form (*a drib and a drab).
- Using with uncountable nouns where a 'piece/bit' metaphor isn't logical.
- Confusing with 'bits and bobs' (which refers to small physical objects).
Practice
Quiz
Which situation best illustrates the meaning of 'in dribs and drabs'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it's very common to use it for people arriving or joining something in small, scattered groups (e.g., 'The audience arrived in dribs and drabs.').
The fixed, standard order is 'dribs and drabs'. Reversing it ('drabs and dribs') is non-standard and very rare.
It originated in the early 19th century. 'Drib' is a variant of 'drip', and 'drab' likely comes from an old word for a small sum of money or a petty debt. Together, they emphasize small, insignificant amounts.
It is informal. It is suitable for speech, informal writing, and narrative prose, but it should be avoided in highly formal or technical documents where 'incrementally', 'gradually', or 'piecemeal' might be more appropriate.