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
Sooty blotch looks like a brown or black blotch on the fruit; sooty blotch, unlike flyspeck, will wipe off the fruit.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 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
To those who grew up with Duncan in the U.S. Virgin Islands, their friend’s voyage from a picturesque flyspeck in the middle of the ocean to the basketball Hall of Fame was equal parts preordained and inconceivable.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 14 May 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
That is why presidential candidates hire squads of lawyers to flyspeck donations during a campaign.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 May 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
Sooty blotch looks like a brown or black blotch on the fruit; sooty blotch, unlike flyspeck, will wipe off the fruit.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 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
To those who grew up with Duncan in the U.S. Virgin Islands, their friend’s voyage from a picturesque flyspeck in the middle of the ocean to the basketball Hall of Fame was equal parts preordained and inconceivable.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 14 May 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
That is why presidential candidates hire squads of lawyers to flyspeck donations during a campaign.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 May 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
-
Serve them with slices of prosciutto or speck, sure.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 July 2025
-
Dishes such as beef stew with speck dumplings or Wienerschnitzel in butter breaded veal cutlet, with roasted potatoes and cranberry jam, are big favorites.—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
In any case, there are sure to be at least a few flecks of moss or lichen, gray or gray-green, on that side.—
Ted Updike,
Outdoor Life,
22 May 2025
-
The workmanship shows in the color and precision of the grout, the mottling of dark flecks, and the triangular pieces where the arches meet — details that give the façade a subliminal liveliness.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office says while the couple was waist deep in the water with their dog, an alligator bit the hand and wrist of the woman and dragged her under the water.—
Gershon Harrell,
Sun Sentinel,
24 July 2025
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While a headboard may seem like a small design detail in your overall bedroom layout, a little bit of creativity can make a big impact.—
Rebecca Shinners,
Architectural Digest,
24 July 2025
Noun
-
Wildfire smoke particles, which are called PM2.5, are especially dangerous for children, older adults, pregnant people and those with heart or respiratory conditions.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
-
Insects are ever at risk of being caught by it, as are particles, like pollen, traveling through the air.—
Ian Rose,
JSTOR Daily,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
While Microsoft did release a patch for CVE-2025-53770, attackers already inside those systems could maintain persistence using other tools and chained exploits.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
-
Every slugger hits a dry patch; Raleigh’s just hasn’t come yet.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
While rye was the dominant secondary grain in most bourbons of the day, providing a spicy but sometimes harsh character, Weller believed there was room for a different kind of whiskey.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
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However, study authors noted the diet was particularly high in sodium and didn’t contain enough whole grains.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA Today,
26 July 2025
Noun
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Even from the outside, the bathroom door was fully covered in scrap wood, with a moon cut out to resemble an outhouse door.—
Meredith Wilshere,
People.com,
20 July 2025
-
The original paint on the pine hardwood is intact if chipped, and several rails are missing—likely sacrificed to wartime scrap drives during filming.—
India Brown,
Robb Report,
18 July 2025
Noun
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Her short announcement video for the album also appeared to feature a snippet of the title track.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
25 July 2025
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Think of them not as rigid deployments but as modular systems composed of the following: • Component Modularity: Break initiatives into creative snippets, messaging hooks and channel tactics.—
Dr. Chiranjiv Roy,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flyspeck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flyspeck. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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