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
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
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
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 21 Dec. 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flyspeck
Noun
-
As in Kourliandski’s quartet, specks and splatters of sound are interspersed with silences.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
The titular town is a serene speck of a place in the west of Japan, near a mountain also called Nagi, a beautiful but raggedy landscape that patchworks swathes of virgin forest, farmed fields and twinkling solar panels.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Powerful new lasers and x-rays are enabling geologists like Korolev, a researcher at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City, to probe increasingly small flecks of minerals in deep diamonds.—
James Dinneen,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
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Our recipe studs egg filling with flecks of green onions, bacon, and a generous helping of Swiss cheese.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
Northwestern let a little bit of suspense creep in during the second half of its NCAA Tournament semifinal Friday evening at Martin Stadium.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
Leicester did their bit, eventually winning 2-1, but Everton were also leading 1-0 — until a fake rumour circulated inside the stadium that Bournemouth had levelled the scores.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
Ischemic strokes occur when a blood clot or other particles – such as plaque, which are fatty deposits – block blood supply to the brain, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
-
One 2022 study found broken nonstick coatings may release millions of microplastic and nanoplastic particles.—
Ryan Brennan,
Sacbee.com,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
The captain’s patch is likely his reward upon the ink drying.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
From future concerts to jersey patches, everything is on the table.—
Connor Riley,
AJC.com,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
The brand emphasizes sourcing grains from local Tennessee farmers, though the mash bill is not disclosed.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
-
Rub the furniture in the direction of the grain, and repeat as needed.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
The recycling center would take household materials like electronics, textiles, shoes, food scraps, mixed paper, cardboard, plastics, metal cans, and glass.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2026
-
But Alberto goes anyway, and his inheritance (in all possible meanings of the word) is contained in a brown envelope, some scraps of paper that take on an awful amount of significance over the next two hours.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
His intro showed snippets of monologues from just about every late night host to ever do it, from his predecessor, David Letterman, to the late, great Johnny Carson to Arsenio Hall to Joan Rivers.—
Toni Fitzgerald,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
Alphonse Pierre’s Off the Dome column covers songs, mixtapes, albums, scenes, snippets, movies, Meek Mill tweets, fashion trends—and anything else that catches his attention.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flyspeck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flyspeck. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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