Odds and ends 的意思是:零碎东西。比如,一个人要到外地去旅行,他可能会说:
"Okay, I'm all packed now, except for a few odds and ends I'll put in a handbag and carry on the plane with me."
这人说:“行了,我的行李都准备好了,还有一些零星小东西,我准备把它们放在手提包里,随身带上飞机去。”
你要是到美国的公司或其他机构去参观的话,你可以看到很多人的办公桌上很乱,纸张文件堆得很高。下面这个人就是一个例子:
"One good thing I got done at the office today was clean up my desk. I'd let so many odds and ends pile up that you could scarcely see the desk itself. But I got busy and took care of everything."
他说:“今天我在办公室里做的一件好事是把我的桌子整理乾净了。那些零零碎碎的东西越堆越多,简直连桌面都看不见了。可是,我今天抓紧时间,把所有的东西都整理好了。”