phrase

• Be relieved that an unpleasant situation is alleviated by minor advantages.

  ‘I suppose we should be grateful for small mercies that it will come out of the existing budget’

  More example sentences

  • ‘That would not be as good as live Friday night coverage, but we might have to be thankful for small mercies.’
  • ‘Must be grateful for small mercies, or so they say…’
  • ‘Should be grateful for small mercies, I suppose.’
  • ‘But he, and Scotland, have to be grateful for small mercies.’
  • ‘But, I expect, we have to be grateful for small mercies, however.’
  • ‘But be grateful for small mercies: at least they come in the right year.’
  • ‘This year it was not a matter of life and death there were no lives at stake so we must be grateful for small mercies.’
  • ‘That's still a long time but I suppose we should be grateful for small mercies.’
  • ‘I was thankful for small mercies, though; there had been talk of me being dressed as a sumo wrestler.’
  • ‘The Minister is obviously learning from the tactics of the EU Commission and asking us to be thankful for small mercies in scaling down the level of increases to a level which is still punitive.’
  • ‘A more fully balanced portrait of the production details would have been welcome, but we should be thankful for small mercies - Columbia provides nothing else, not even the trailer.’
  • ‘Gratifyingly, the BBC report makes no mention whatsoever of ‘blogging’, so we can be thankful for small mercies.’
  • ‘I suppose we should really be thankful for small mercies.’
  • ‘Okay, maybe all of this isn't really very much, but let's be thankful for small mercies shall we.’
  • ‘In any area of taxation policy, one must be grateful for small mercies as the Treasury and Inland Revenue are vigilant about protecting their fiscal base.’
  • ‘Patients should be grateful for small mercies.’
  • ‘It keeps us going a bit longer, and we must be grateful for small mercies.’
  • ‘I suppose you should be grateful for small mercies - at least it's not Randy.’
  • ‘Around it there is the lingering legacy of a relatively poor society in which it made sense to be grateful for small mercies.’
  • ‘The coach is thankful for small mercies these days.’