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I was watching ERB, and Tesla replied to Thomas Edison - "You couldn't handle my gifts with your greedy little mind".

What if I say: "little greedy mind", what does it change on the meaning. Is it right to say?.

Thanks in advance.

Calne Ricardo Souza
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  • "Greedy little mind" would be much more idiomatic. "Little greedy mind" would imply that Edison was small-minded as well as greedy. – Nicole May 06 '15 at 14:59
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    In English, "little" can be a pure value judgment without denotative meaning at all. What one Oxford philosopher called "con-ish" (as opposed to "pro-ish"). You could replace it with a raspberry or by spitting and no information would be lost. The drill sergeant could call a seven-foot recruit "you 'orrible little man" and no one would bat an eyelid. So if you call someone a "greedy little mind" it carries only the meanings that (a) you are greedy and (b) I don't like you. "Little greedy mind" gives more solid information; it says two things about you yourself, just as @Nicole wrote. – David Pugh May 06 '15 at 17:42

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