Small Potato

Posted by R. Berg on June 01, 2001

In Reply to: Small Potato posted by Tiko on June 01, 2001

: Anyone ever hear of the term "Small Potato"? It was in reference to a company who was also called a "Mom and Pop shop".
: Thanks.

"Small potatoes" is familiar (and old), but not the singular form "small potato." The Dictionary of American Slang has two definitions for "small potatoes":

1. A small amount of money; peanuts [with a citation from 1836].

2. Any unimportant, insignificant, inconsequential, minor, or petty person, idea, attitude, object, etc.; a small business; small profit or financial gain, esp. as compared with what one expects from future endeavors. Since c1850.