as in speck
a very small piece
surreptitiously removed a flyspeck of dirt from the china
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Recent Examples of flyspeck
That’s a flyspeck in a galaxy that measures 100,000 light years across and a universe that is a staggering 94 billion light years.
—
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 21 Dec. 2022
Sooty blotch looks like a brown or black blotch on the fruit; sooty blotch, unlike flyspeck, will wipe off the fruit.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2022
Travelers jumping into the West Texas badlands from Mexico through Candelaria, a flyspeck village 50 miles up two-lane blacktop northwest of Presidio, might be deceived by the prevailing verdant quiet.
—Dudley Althaus, San Antonio Express-News, 26 June 2021
To those who grew up with Duncan in the U.S. Virgin Islands, their friend’s voyage from a picturesque flyspeck in the middle of the ocean to the basketball Hall of Fame was equal parts preordained and inconceivable.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 14 May 2021
But with a thousand islands scattered along their country’s jade-green Adriatic coast, from deserted flyspecks to hipster outposts, there’s no shortage of places to lick one’s wounds—or bask in silver-medal glory.
—Anja Mutić, WSJ, 19 July 2018
Compared to this, Comcast is a flyspeck, and Charter hasn’t even gotten started.
—David Dayen, The New Republic, 30 Apr. 2018
Amid these forces, Fed rate hikes are a relative flyspeck, says Doug Duncan, chief economist of Fannie Mae.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 14 June 2017
For a mere flyspeck, Bogoslof Island has been causing quite a commotion recently.
—Henry Fountain, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2016
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 21 Dec. 2022
Sooty blotch looks like a brown or black blotch on the fruit; sooty blotch, unlike flyspeck, will wipe off the fruit.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2022
Travelers jumping into the West Texas badlands from Mexico through Candelaria, a flyspeck village 50 miles up two-lane blacktop northwest of Presidio, might be deceived by the prevailing verdant quiet.
—Dudley Althaus, San Antonio Express-News, 26 June 2021
To those who grew up with Duncan in the U.S. Virgin Islands, their friend’s voyage from a picturesque flyspeck in the middle of the ocean to the basketball Hall of Fame was equal parts preordained and inconceivable.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 14 May 2021
But with a thousand islands scattered along their country’s jade-green Adriatic coast, from deserted flyspecks to hipster outposts, there’s no shortage of places to lick one’s wounds—or bask in silver-medal glory.
—Anja Mutić, WSJ, 19 July 2018
Compared to this, Comcast is a flyspeck, and Charter hasn’t even gotten started.
—David Dayen, The New Republic, 30 Apr. 2018
Amid these forces, Fed rate hikes are a relative flyspeck, says Doug Duncan, chief economist of Fannie Mae.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 14 June 2017
For a mere flyspeck, Bogoslof Island has been causing quite a commotion recently.
—Henry Fountain, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flyspeck
Noun
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Coincidentally, also visible in the new images is the planet Mercury, appearing as a tiny speck of light gliding closer to the sun.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
17 Feb. 2025
-
Such heady heights look like a speck on the horizon right now, and the question is how small that prospect needs to shrink for anger in the stands to rise again.—
Laurie Whitwell,
The Athletic,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The song structures melt into goo; the lyrics pelt flecks of raw feeling.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
3 Dec. 2024
-
Each light is attached to a green string to easily blend into your tree, and once the lights are turned on, the liquid inside each bulb bubbles to reveal floating flecks of gold glitter to make your tree shine.—
Kaitlin Gates,
Southern Living,
30 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Chap in conning tower blown to bits, also man on gun.—
Sean Kingsley,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 Feb. 2025
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The consistency of the product gives you the ability to add a little bit of glow to the skin without adding a lot of product.—
Iman Balagam,
Vogue,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The particles can pass through any kind of matter and contain information about some of the most energetic events in the universe, such as gamma-ray bursts.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN,
15 Feb. 2025
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In effect, the particles accelerate by surfing on these waves.—
The Physics arXiv Blog,
Discover Magazine,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Cultural burning on a Juncus patches is usually for weavers.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
17 Feb. 2025
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He’s disconcerted but not deterred when her behavior becomes less and less like that of a woman whose husband is pretty much presumed dead after his shirt and wallet are found on the rocks overlooking a patch of ocean known for its treacherous currents.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Everything comes into focus: grains that are shiny, fluffy and tender, yet somehow still individual, sticky and standing.—
Eric Kim,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2025
-
The best foods to focus on to keep your gut status quo are plenty of fiber-rich whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, plus fruits and veggies, adds Wright.—
Mara Santilli,
Flow Space,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Cheese or Dairy Products Cheese and dairy scraps are other food items not to be used in compost.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2025
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Food scraps scattered along the roadside attract rodents, which in turn draw owls to hunt them.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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There’s one very good suspense sequence and snippets of accompanying tension, but overall there’s no momentum to the mystery and the lack of interesting character arcs is conspicuous.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Feb. 2025
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Harlow confirmed the engagement Tuesday in an Instagram post that included snippets of Kuzma’s lavish proposal and a glimpse at her 8.5-carat engagement ring.—
Nardine Saad,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flyspeck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flyspeck. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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