Lit·tle a. [The regular comparative and superlative of this word, littler and littlest, are often used as comparatives of the sense small; but in the sense few, less, or, rarely, lesser is the proper comparative and least is the superlative. See Lesser. The regular form, littlest, occurs also in some of the English provinces, and occasionally in colloquial language. “ Where love is great, the littlest doubts are fear.” --Shak.]
 1. Small in size or extent; not big; diminutive; -- opposed to big or large; as, a little body; a little animal; a little piece of ground; a little hill; a little distance; a little child.
    He sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.   --Luke xix. 3.
 2. Short in duration; brief; as, a little sleep.
 Best him enough: after a little time,
 I'll beat him too.   --Shak.
 3. Small in quantity or amount; not much; as, a little food; a little air or water.
    Conceited of their little wisdoms, and doting upon their own fancies.   --Barrow.
 4. Small in dignity, power, or importance; not great; insignificant; contemptible.
    When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes?   --I Sam. xv. 17.
 5. Small in force or efficiency; not strong; weak; slight; inconsiderable; as, little attention or exertion;little effort; little care or diligence.
 By sad experiment I know
 How little weight my words with thee can find.   --Milton.
 6. Small in extent of views or sympathies; narrow; shallow; contracted; mean; illiberal; ungenerous.
 The long-necked geese of the world that are ever hissing dispraise,
 Because their natures are little.   --Tennyson.
 Little chief. Zool. See Chief hare.
 Little Englander, an Englishman opposed to territorial expansion of the British Empire. See Antiimperialism, above. Hence: Little Englandism.
 Little finger, the fourth and smallest finger of the hand.
 Little go Eng. Universities, a public examination about the middle of the course, which is less strict and important than the final one; -- called also smalls.  Cf. Great go, under Great. --Thackeray.
 Little hours R. C. Ch., the offices of prime, tierce, sext, and nones. Vespers and compline are sometimes included.
 Little-neck clam, or Little neck Zool., the quahog, or round clam.
 Little ones, young children.
    The men, and the women, and the little ones.   --Deut. ii. 34.
 -- Little peach, a disease of peaches in which the fruit is much dwarfed, and the leaves grow small and thin. The cause is not known.
 Little Rhod"y Rhode Island; -- a nickname alluding to its small size. It is the smallest State of the United States.
 Little Sisters of the Poor R. C. Ch., an order of women who care for old men and women and infirm poor, for whom special houses are built. It was established at St. Servan, Britany, France, in 1840, by the Abbé Le Pailleur.
 Little slam Bridge Whist, the winning of 12 out of the 13 tricks.  It counts 20 points on the honor score.  Contrasted with grand slam.


 Go, n.
 1. Act; working; operation. [Obs.]
    So gracious were the goes of marriage.   --Marston.
 2. A circumstance or occurrence; an incident. [Slang]
    This is a pretty go.   --Dickens.
 3. The fashion or mode; as, quite the go. [Colloq.]
 4. Noisy merriment; as, a high go. [Colloq.]
 5. A glass of spirits. [Slang]
 6. Power of going or doing; energy; vitality; perseverance; push; as, there is no go in him. [Colloq.]
 7. Cribbage That condition in the course of the game when a player can not lay down a card which will not carry the aggregate count above thirty-one.
 8. Something that goes or is successful; a success; as, he made a go of it; also, an agreement.
    =\“Well,” said Fleming, “is it a go?”\=    --Bret Harte.
 Great go, Little go, the final and the preliminary examinations for a degree. [Slang, Eng. Univ.]
 No go, a failure; a fiasco. [Slang] --Thackeray.
 On the go, moving about; unsettled. [Colloq.]

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 Great a. [Compar. Greater superl. Greatest.]
 1. Large in space; of much size; big; immense; enormous; expanded; -- opposed to small and little; as, a great house, ship, farm, plain, distance, length.
 2. Large in number; numerous; as, a great company, multitude, series, etc.
 3. Long continued; lengthened in duration; prolonged in time; as, a great while; a great interval.
 4. Superior; admirable; commanding; -- applied to thoughts, actions, and feelings.
 5. Endowed with extraordinary powers; uncommonly gifted; able to accomplish vast results; strong; powerful; mighty; noble; as, a great hero, scholar, genius, philosopher, etc.
 6. Holding a chief position; elevated: lofty: eminent; distinguished; foremost; principal; as, great men; the great seal; the great marshal, etc.
    He doth object I am too great of birth.   --Shak.
 7. Entitled to earnest consideration; weighty; important; as, a great argument, truth, or principle.
 8. Pregnant; big (with young).
    The ewes great with young.   --Ps. lxxviii. 71.
 9. More than ordinary in degree; very considerable in degree; as, to use great caution; to be in great pain.
 We have all
 Great cause to give great thanks.   --Shak.
 10. Genealogy Older, younger, or more remote, by single generation; -- often used before grand to indicate one degree more remote in the direct line of descent; as, great-grandfather (a grandfather's or a grandmother's father), great-grandson, etc.
 Great bear (Astron.), the constellation Ursa Major.
 Great cattle (Law), all manner of cattle except sheep and yearlings. --Wharton.
 Great charter Eng. Hist., Magna Charta.
 Great circle of a sphere, a circle the plane of which passes through the center of the sphere.
 Great circle sailing, the process or art of conducting a ship on a great circle of the globe or on the shortest arc between two places.
 Great go, the final examination for a degree at the University of Oxford, England; -- called also greats.  --T. Hughes.
 Great guns. Naut. See under Gun.
 The Great Lakes the large fresh-water lakes (Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario) which lie on the northern borders of the United States.
 Great master.  Same as Grand master, under Grand.
 Great organ  Mus., the largest and loudest of the three parts of a grand organ (the others being the choir organ and the swell, and sometimes the pedal organ or foot keys), It is played upon by a separate keyboard, which has the middle position.
 The great powers (of Europe), in modern diplomacy, Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, and Italy.
 Great primer. See under Type.
 Great scale (Mus.), the complete scale; -- employed to designate the entire series of musical sounds from lowest to highest.
 Great sea, the Mediterranean sea. In Chaucer both the Black and the Mediterranean seas are so called.
 Great seal. (a) The principal seal of a kingdom or state. (b) In Great Britain, the lord chancellor  (who is custodian of this seal); also, his office.
 Great tithes. See under Tithes.
 The great, the eminent, distinguished, or powerful.
 The Great Spirit, among the North American Indians, their chief or principal deity.
 To be great (with one), to be intimate or familiar (with him). --Bacon.