“Bits and bobs” is a phrase used in the UK to describe a mix of items, while Americans use “junk”. Other synonyms include “mixture”, “mélange”, and “mishmash”. The phrase may have originated from UK coinage. It can refer to a wide range of collections of items, from small to bulky, valuable items.
The idiom “bits and bobs” in the English language is a general term for an eclectic mix of elements. The phrase is just one option to describe a jumble of items. Many other synonymous words and phrases apply to this type of mix of elements.
Many who are familiar with the use of the colored phrase in English will agree that the phrase is used more in the UK than in other English-speaking societies such as the US. Americans tend to use different phrases for this idea, one of the most popular being “junk”. Both “junk” and “bits and bobs” can refer to a wide range of collections of items.
Other ways to express the same idea as “bits and bobs” are single words. Speakers or writers may refer to a “mixture”, an “oil” or a “salmagundi”. They may also use words like “mélange,” a word of French origin, or “mishmash.”
One explanation for the more common use of “bit and bob” in UK nations is that some linguistic observers have associated the phrase with types of monetary coinage used in the UK, where a small coin may be referred to as a “bit” and some refer to larger shilling coins as ‘bobs’. Here, it would appear that the phrase gradually developed from a word for a hodgepodge of coins to a much more abstract way to describe a collection of objects.
The phrase “bits and bobs” is often used for sets of items that are not the same. For example, a speaker might refer to items left behind in a rambling mansion as “bits and bobs.” This can mean a collection of anything from the smallest items like thumbtacks and rubber bands left in a drawer, to bulky, complex or valuable items, from a gym set to a Greek sculpture or wardrobe. In other cases, the sentence is delimited by context, for example, where the speaker may refer to a drawer as full of “bits and bobs.” Also, someone might say that “bits and bobs” went into a recipe, where the result might be called a “hash.”
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