by little and little

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English

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Prepositional phrase

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by little and little

  1. (dated) A small amount at a time; little by little.
    • 1855 December – 1857 June, Charles Dickens, chapter 2, in Little Dorrit, London: Bradbury and Evans, [], published 1857, →OCLC:
      The girl raged and battled with all the force of her youth and fulness of life, until by little and little her passionate exclamations trailed off into broken murmurs as if she were in pain.