A bit

[bit] /bɪt/
noun
a small piece or quant-ty of anything:
a bit of string.
a short time:
wait a bit.
informal. an amount equivalent to 12½ u.s. cents (used only in even multiples):
two bits; six bits.
an act, performance, or routine:
she’s doing the camille bit, pretending to be near collapse.
a stereotypic or habitual set of behaviors, att-tudes, or styles -ssociated with an individual, role, situation, etc.:
the whole wall street bit.
also called bit part. a very small role, as in a play or motion picture, containing few or no lines.
compare walk-on (def 1).
any small coin:
a threepenny bit.
a spanish or mexican silver real worth 12½ cents, formerly current in parts of the u.s.
idioms
a bit, rather or somewhat; a little:
a bit sleepy.
a bit much, somewhat overdone or beyond tolerability.
bit by bit, by degrees; gradually:
having saved money bit by bit, they now had enough to buy the land.
do one’s bit, to contribute one’s share to an effort:
they all did their bit during the war.
every bit, quite; just:
every bit as good.
quite a bit, a fairly large amount:
there’s quite a bit of snow on the ground.
synonyms
bit1
/bɪt/
noun
a small piece, portion, or quant-ty
a short time or distance
(us & canadian, informal) the value of an eighth of a dollar: spoken of only in units of two: two bits
any small coin
short for bit part
(informal) way of behaving, esp one intended to create a particular impression: she’s doing the prima donna bit
a bit, rather; somewhat: a bit dreary
a bit of

rather: a bit of a dope
a considerable amount: that must take quite a bit of courage

(brit, slang) a bit of all right, a bit of crumpet, a bit of stuff, a bit of tail, a s-xually attractive woman
bit by bit, gradually
(informal) bit on the side, an extramarital affair
do one’s bit, to make one’s expected contribution
(foll by as) every bit, to the same degree: she was every bit as clever as her brother
not a bit, not a bit of it, not in the slightest; not at all
to bits, completely apart: to fall to bits
word origin
old english bite action of biting; see bite
bit2
/bɪt/
noun
a metal mouthpiece, for controlling a horse on a bridle
anything that restrains or curbs
take the bit in one’s teeth, take the bit between one’s teeth, have the bit in one’s teeth, have the bit between one’s teeth

to undertake a task with determination
to rebel against control

a cutting or drilling tool, part, or head in a brace, drill, etc
the blade of a woodworking plane
the part of a pair of pincers designed to grasp an object
the copper end of a soldering iron
the part of a key that engages the levers of a lock
verb (transitive) bits, bitting, bitted