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less is more

less is more

Date: May 10 2007

Themes: Pop Culture

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

“Looking back, I feel now that on my 4th album ‘less is more’ should have been the way to go.”

- Britney Spears, pop singer, talking about her fourth album, In the Zone (Entertainment Weekly).

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

don’t overdo it; shorter, smaller, or subtler is better

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

To say less is more might seem like a contradiction, but what it really means is that less is more effective. This expression can be used to say that it’s best to do something quickly, or that it’s better to use a small amount of something. In general it means “don’t overdo it.” The expression was first used by the English poet Robert Browning to describe the ease and simplicity of painter Andrea del Sarto’s work.

In the Zone is Britney Spears’ least successful album to date, and it is also her most adventurous. The pop singer experimented with various collaborators including Moby and Madonna. Spears now believes that the album might have been more successful if it had been simpler and more straightforward. When she recorded In the Zone Spears didn’t believe that less is more, but now she does.

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

“I think less is more when it comes to the lengths of films. I like movies to wrap up in 90 minutes.”

Less is more for me when I drink alcohol. I hate being too drunk.”

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

It's a metaphor that means the simplest, the best.
by sandra tiriba
Gucci26 better less than more, but better
by Gucci26
Y.Furu simle is the best
by Y.Furu
less is better - more productive
by Lukas915
amlan minimalism would have done it.
by amlan
not too much...
by fingers
"less is more" means that sometimes the less you say has more impact and meaning than trying to say or do more to get the message understood
by way da lone
Simplicity expresses much more meaningful than you think.
by Hugh Marr
Belizza something more simply is better
by Belizza
zz-top Sometimes you just want to keep things simple. It's like the concept of 'negative space' - the lack of extra information can make the original message stronger. In the case of Britney, less might be more these days...
by zz-top

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Comments

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lina77

Saudi Arabia

less is more is a good strategy when it comes to speaking

08:25 PM Jan 09 2014 |

bboy_mc4

United States

simply expresses, take hard jobs easy

08:40 PM Jun 28 2007 |

sweetie_stela

Philippines

Less is more. Hmmmmmm…. a short phrase for a greater meaning. Isn’t it?

03:25 AM May 17 2007 |

ladyheart

ladyheart

Philippines

clear and short explanation is enough than long which is not understood by the others..

06:30 PM May 10 2007 |

kientrungle2001

Viet Nam

Yes. More simple more better. I agree with you.

05:31 PM May 10 2007 |

boski

boski

India

I think less is more is like “KISS: – Keep it simple and short”

03:42 PM May 10 2007 |

yokel

China

maybe,A contented mind is a perpetual feast!

03:07 PM May 10 2007 |

winter jujube

China

To me, less is more means that having several indeed friends is better than have many friends

03:06 PM May 10 2007 |

beaty one

beaty one

Israel

“less is mare”means lits say something beautiful is better than three thing ugly

11:40 AM May 10 2007 |

abdeeq

abdeeq

Somalia

Very Best.

06:23 AM May 10 2007 |

Dick

China

less is more.i like this phrase.so short that you can’t think of what the real meaning is!

04:52 AM May 10 2007 |

GAVIÃO

GAVIÃO

Brazil

very good!!

04:42 AM May 10 2007 |

maygel

China

I think less is more is just like the life.More simple more happy.Don’t you think so?

02:34 AM May 10 2007 |

nadeem2007

nadeem2007

India

It’s just the opposite of the idioms ” too much of everything is bad”.

02:30 AM May 10 2007 |

Bryan_07

Bryan_07

China

I think “less is more”has a deep signification.If somebody can realize it and read between the lines.He may do great in every way…

01:25 AM May 10 2007 |

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