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Oct 2, 2014 at 12:46 comment added michelle @jim_nr - The dictionary doesn't always tell the whole story about words in a living language. Choosing "a little" to mean "a lot" is the type of stylistic choice that adds color, humor, life to the language.
Oct 2, 2014 at 10:47 comment added jim_nr @nekomatic, yes I saw them, and they all point to this: "little" -> not much, "a little" -> not much but enough and certainly not great/big/a lot. ;)
Oct 2, 2014 at 10:35 comment added nekomatic See other answers and comments - it appears that other people understand the meaning a little differently to you. ;-)
Oct 2, 2014 at 7:57 comment added jim_nr @nekomatic, I agree, language is evolving and changing, but until then, as far as the dictionary tells me, little does not mean a lot. People tend to use words which are not appropriate. That is why there are courses called English 101, Grammar 101, etc. The word little can never mean big/lot/great/etc...it may add a "little amount" to the word but not to mean big/lot/great/etc.
Oct 2, 2014 at 7:56 comment added nekomatic In fact it's worth saying that 'a little' is quite commonly used in understatement, at least in British English. 'I'm a little concerned about...' can easily mean 'I'm seriously worried about...'. See those Buzzfeed lists of 'Things British People Say And What They Actually Mean' for more examples.
Oct 2, 2014 at 7:52 comment added nekomatic @jim_nr, who knows why, but that's what people say. Language is like that.
Oct 2, 2014 at 5:04 comment added jim_nr @michelle - Thanks for the comment, but I disagree with you. When in the world the word little means quite a lot? Instead of saying "I have a little money set aside..." why not say "I have enough money set aside..."?
Oct 1, 2014 at 14:38 comment added michelle Just to add - in some cases "a little money" could actually mean quite a lot, as it is common for people to use it to mean "I have enough to do x". For example, A: "Wouldn't it be great to have a summer home?" B: "I have a little money set aside. Let's buy one!"
Oct 1, 2014 at 9:22 history answered jim_nr CC BY-SA 3.0