vest-pocket
Small enough to be carried in a vest pocket or other small containerSmall enough to be carried in a vest pocket or other small container.
Meaning
2 senses(not comparable)Small enough to be carried in a vest pocket or other small container.
She carried a vest-pocket copy of the New Testament in her purse at all times.
(broadly, not comparable)Smaller than would ordinarily be expected.
Levi's apartment was a vest-pocket Graceland; every inch of wall and shelf space was covered by Elvis memorabilia.
Origin
From vest + pocket, referring to the pockets of a suit vest, which are only sized to holdFrom vest + pocket, referring to the pockets of a suit vest, which are only sized to hold watches, handkerchiefs, wallets, and similarly small items.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Synonyms
4 synonymsSee also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.