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Literary notes about Bit (AI summary)

The word “bit” in literature serves as a versatile signifier, evolving with context to express small amounts, brief intervals, or even literal actions. In some works, it tempers statements by indicating slight modifications in attitude or degree—for instance, suggesting a modest delay or hesitation, as in “wait a bit” ([1], [2], [3]), or negating feelings by emphasizing their minimal presence ([4], [5], [6]). Elsewhere, it denotes a tangible fragment or period, such as a “bit of candle” or a small portion of history ([7], [8]). The term even appears in its more physical sense—as a component in equestrian equipment ([9], [10])—or as an action that conveys a sudden, sharp movement, like biting one’s lip ([11], [12]). This multifaceted usage underscores the subtle richness of language, where one small word can carry a multitude of nuanced meanings.
  1. Yes—wait a bit, and I’ll make it clearer what I think ought to be done.
    — from The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
  2. “Wait a bit,” said the old man, and showed Pierre a globe.
    — from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy
  3. I waited for a bit, and then started to explore the cupboard shelves.
    — from The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
  4. But I don’t mind it a bit—only the paper.
    — from The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
  5. I am better educated than you—and I don't love you a bit: that's my side of the case.
    — from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
  6. Even the least bit of rudeness, the slightest impoliteness, upsets me. NATASHA.
    — from Plays by Anton Chekhov, Second Series by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  7. She rushes out of the hut, and soon afterwards comes back with a bit of candle.
    — from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  8. This small bit of history is illustrative of the whole life of Dr. Deming.
    — from Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 44th Annual Meeting
  9. When I mounted mine, he took the bit between his teeth, and *
    — from Aesop's Fables by Aesop
  10. A horse that had no bit wouldn't have his[2] mouth covered with foam.
    — from French Conversation and Composition by Harry Vincent Wann
  11. And she bit her lip, and frowned vindictively upon the fair domain she had once so coveted to call her own.
    — from Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
  12. Little Chandler smiled, looked confusedly at his glass and bit his lower lip with three childishly white front teeth.
    — from Dubliners by James Joyce

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