English

Proverb

many a mickle makes a muckle

1. (Britain) A lot of small amounts, put together, become a large amount.

Usage notes

Mickle and muckle both traditionally meant "a large amount", hence the somewhat more logical variant "many a little makes a mickle". In Scottish English, partly under the influence of this phrase, "mickle" has, however, also come to mean "a small amount".^[1]

Translations

References

1. ↑ Many a Mickle (Cheshire, 1953), page 12