a little from column A, a little from column B

noun

A combination of two factors or reasons.

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Meanings

nouna little from column A, a little from column B (uncountable)

alternative a little from column A and a little from column B · alternative one from column A, one from column B

  1. idiomaticinformaluncountableA combination of two factors or reasons.

    Clinton would take a little from column A, a little from column B, depending on the day, his mood, and whom he had talked to last.

    1999, George Stephanopoulos, All Too Human: A Political Education
    1 more example

    Which is how I thought I knew it was going to be either really boring, or about my family, or a little from column A, a little from column B.

    2005, Lou Harry, Eric Pfeffinger, The High-Impact Infidelity Diet

Origin

Typical "American Chinese" restaurant menus of the mid-twentieth century presented food selections for combination entrees in a table with columns labeled "A" and "B". The customer was then advised, for example, to "Choose one from Column A and one from Column B."

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

a little from column A, a little from column B. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20little%20from%20column%20A%2C%20a%20little%20from%20column%20B

MLA

“a little from column A, a little from column B.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20little%20from%20column%20A%2C%20a%20little%20from%20column%20B. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “a little from column A, a little from column B,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20little%20from%20column%20A%2C%20a%20little%20from%20column%20B.

Source: a little from column A, a little from column B on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.