"Every little helps"

[nq:1]This phrase has bothered me since childhood. It seems incomplete. Every little what?[/nq]
"Bit", or "thing". Elision.

Cheers, Harvey
CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed

[nq:1]This phrase has bothered me since childhood. It seems incomplete. Every little what? Or did "little" turn into a noun just for use in this phrase?[/nq]
I have heard the phrase only as "every little /bit/ helps".
Skitt (AmE)

[nq:1]This phrase has bothered me since childhood. It seems incomplete. Every little what? Or did "little" turn into a noun just for use in this phrase?[/nq]
It comes from 'every little helps, as the old lady said when she *** in the ocean' - but don't tell Tesco! So, in this case, every little drop. There's very little I can add. Little to see here.

[nq:1]This phrase has bothered me since childhood.[/nq]
Your childhood clearly came later than my childhood.
[nq:1]It seems incomplete. Every little what?[/nq]
Bit.
Without the bit might be in the last 20 years. Maybe it was meant to be cutesy.
[nq:1]Or did "little" turn into a noun just for use in this phrase?[/nq]
I should admit that I had trouble when I was little

[nq:1]This phrase has bothered me since childhood. It seems incomplete. Every little what? Or did "little" turn into a noun just for use in this phrase?[/nq]
Yes, it is a noun, but not just in this phrase. "Little"="a small quantity" dates back to c1220 according to the OED.

[nq:2]This phrase has bothered me since childhood. It seems incomplete. Every little what?[/nq]
"Every little breeze seems to whisper Louise."
But really, it is very common to hear someone say "Oh, yes. I slept a little."
"Did you eat at all?"
"A little."
"He couldn't wait just a little, and I don't understand why."

Mostly, in my usage, it has been shortened fro

[nq:2]This phrase has bothered me since childhood. It seems incomplete. ... turn into a noun just for use in this phrase?[/nq]
[nq:1]I have heard the phrase only as "every little /bit/ helps".[/nq]
AOL

John Varela
Trade NEWlamps for OLDlamps for email

I heard it in BrE a lot longer ago than 20 years.

"Fiction writing is great. You can make up almost anything." - Ivana Trump

[nq:1]This phrase has bothered me since childhood. It seems incomplete. Every little what? Or did "little" turn into a noun just for use in this phrase?[/nq]
I don't recall ever hearing it that way. "Bit" normally follows "little", although other nouns are possible.
Bill in Kentucky
Reverse parts of the user name and ISP name for my e-address

[nq:1]I should admit that I had trouble when I was little with "a bird in the hand". I was probably 12 years old before I finally heard someone say the rest of it.[/nq]
As I had when I first heard about the birds and the bees here. We have no concept of being told about the birds and the bees where I'm from, so for a long time I assumed that it is some kind of educational story, and was curios