few and far between
rare; infrequent
In Spanish
rare; infrequent
Examples
- Truly original ideas at this conference were few and far between.
- Opportunities to travel during the pandemic were few and far between.
- Authentic Italian restaurants in this city are few and far between.
When it's used
This idiom is used to describe something that happens infrequently or is hard to find. It is common in everyday speech and informal writing. It is a fairly straightforward way to emphasize the rarity of something.
The common mistake
A common mistake is trying to inflect the phrase, producing forms like 'fews and fars between'. This disrupts the fixed nature of the idiom and is not something an English speaker would say.
Related idioms
FROM WHAT YOU READ TO WHAT YOU SAY
Recognising it isn't the same as using it
Reading an idiom and understanding it is step one. Dropping it into a conversation, at the right moment, without stopping to think, is another — and that only comes from speaking.
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