small fry

S

small fry (idiom)
/ˈsmɔːl fraɪ/

Meanings

• Unimportant or insignificant people or things.
• Beginners or newcomers in a field.
• Children or young kids (informal).
• Young or small fish (literal).

Synonyms: nobody; minor player; lightweight; underdog; novice; beginner; youngster.

Example Sentences

1. In the corporate world, interns are just small fry compared to executives.
2. He’s still small fry in the tech industry, but he has big dreams.
3. The playground was full of laughing small fry enjoying the swings.
4. Fishermen threw the small fry back into the river to grow bigger. (literal)

Origin and History

The term ‘fry’ meaning “offspring or young” is first recorded in 1577 in the writings of John Dee. This usage establishes the connection between ‘fry’ and youth or progeny in English. It originally referred to the young of animals and fish, setting the stage for later figurative use.

Shakespeare’s Figurative Use (1606)

The figurative application of ‘fry’ is confirmed in Shakespeare’s Macbeth (c. 1606), where he writes:

“Young fry of treachery!”

This demonstrates that ‘fry’ was being applied metaphorically to mean “offspring” well before the phrase small fry was coined.

Emergence in Literal Sense (Late 17th Century)

The collocation small fry appears in its literal sense—referring to small or young fish—by the 1690s in English fisheries language. A notable early citation appears in Owen (1700):

“Five or Ten great Jacks devour all the small Fry.”

At this stage, the term is strictly literal and used in discussions about fish and aquatic life.

Development into Figurative Use (Mid-19th Century)

By the nineteenth century, “small fry” had transitioned into an idiomatic expression describing people or things of little importance. The first clearly documented figurative usage occurs in Charles Dickens’s Hard Times, published in Household Words on 15 July 1854:

“…being heard to bully the small fry of business all the morning.”

This example confirms the idiomatic sense that remains dominant today.

Semantic Progression and English Origin

The development of “small fry” follows a clear path: fry meaning “young of fish” (1577) → figurative sense of “offspring” (1606) → literal phrase small fry for small fish (1690s, cited in 1700) → metaphorical use for unimportant people or things (1854). All the earliest evidence occurs in English texts, confirming England as the country of origin.

Origin Conclusion

“Small fry” originated in England as a literal phrase for juvenile fish. Its earliest linguistic roots date back to fry in 1577, which evolved into figurative application in Shakespeare (1606), appeared as the literal collocation small fry in the late seventeenth century, and developed its established idiomatic sense by 1850s.

Variants

1. small-fry
2. the small fry
3. small fries

Children, Fish

Last update: August 29, 2025 8:04 AM