Definition

Noun: 1. Items or profits that can be taken easily, especially by theft or with little effort: Refers to things that are available for the taking, often implying they are unprotected, abandoned, or easily acquired. 2. The act of gathering or collecting such items: Refers to the action of picking up or taking these available things.

Usage and Examples

• As available items or profits:
  • After the festival, the pickings were slim for the cleanup crew, as most trash had already been collected.
  • The burglars found rich pickings in the unlocked mansion.
• As the act of taking:
  • His pickings from the abandoned orchard yielded several baskets of fruit. (This usage is less common and often context-dependent.)

Advanced Usage

• "Easy pickings": A common phrase describing something very easy to obtain or defeat.
  • The inexperienced team was easy pickings for the league champions.
• "Lean pickings" or "slim pickings": Describes a situation where there is very little available to be taken or gained.
  • It was late in the sale, so shoppers only found slim pickings.

Variants and Related Words

• Picking (noun): The act of selecting or gathering (e.g., fruit picking). Note: "Pickings" often has a more specific connotation of easy gains than the general term "picking."
• To pick (verb): To choose or gather.

Synonyms

• Spoils: Goods stolen or taken in war.
• Plunder: Goods taken by force.
• Gains: Things acquired.
• Loot: Stolen goods, especially during a riot or war.

Notes on Meaning

The word "pickings" is almost always used in its plural form. It typically carries a neutral-to-negative connotation, often related to scavenging, theft, or exploiting an easy opportunity. It is frequently modified by adjectives like "easy," "rich," "slim," or "lean" to describe the quality or quantity of what is available.

Noun

1. the act of someone who picks up or takes something
   • the pickings were easy
   • clothing could be had for the taking