touch the sides

verb

To be barely sufficient; to be a large enough quantity to make a difference.

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Meanings

verbtouch the sides (third-person singular simple present touches the sides, present participle touching the sides, simple past and past participle touched the sides)

present singular third person touches the sides · participle present touching the sides · participle past touched the sides · past touched the sides

  1. AustraliaUKTo be barely sufficient; to be a large enough quantity to make a difference.

    WA Nationals Leader Shane Love described the stockpile as "woefully inadequate", saying it won't "touch the sides" for the state's agricultural sector.

    2026 April 14, “WA government says it has secured 4 million litres of diesel”, in ABC News (Australia)

Origin

Suggestive of some substance being poured into a container. A very small quantity will not even reach the sides of the container.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

touch the sides. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/touch%20the%20sides

MLA

“touch the sides.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/touch%20the%20sides. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “touch the sides,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/touch%20the%20sides.

Source: touch the sides on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.