the.com/smidgen
the unit of measurement that's smaller than a guess but bigger than a maybe.
means A very small amount of something, usually a little more than a pinch but less than a proper measured quantity.
from Likely a diminutive of the Scots and English dialect word 'smitch,' meaning a tiny particle or speck — possibly related to 'smut' (a smudge or speck of dirt). It surfaced in American English in the 19th century, the kind of homely kitchen-and-front-porch word that names amounts too small to bother weighing.
- actual size
- about 1/32 teaspoon in measuring-spoon sets
- spoon family
- sits below pinch, tad, and dash
- old roots
- likely from Scots smidgin, meaning a syllable or trace
- no standard
- officially undefined, gloriously up to the cook
for instance
a smidgen of saffron — the most expensive spice at ~$10 per gram, where even tiny amounts flavor dishes
smidgen of uranium-235 — critical mass for nuclear reaction is only 52 kilograms, making tiny measurements matter enormously