smattering (of something)

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hello Alan, Mister Micawber, Beeesneees, Mordant and other native English speakers,

oxfordadvancedlearnersdictio … smattering
smattering
[singular] smattering (of something)
a small amount of something, especially knowledge of a language

  • He only has a smattering of French.

Do you say “a smattering of people” to mean “a small number of people”?

2

You could say that, such as “There were only a smattering of people at the event.”

3

Thank you, B.