A: Did you buy anything yesterday?

    B: No, I didn’t. It was slim pickings on the last day of the sale.

    Note: This idiom means “very few good things to choose from.” This expression dating back to the early 1600s “alludes to animals devouring a carcass,” according to the American Heritage Dictionary. There is usually not a lot of meat left on a carcass after the lions have had their fill. Then, the wolves or hyenas may come rushing over to have their share. Slim pickings are all that’s left. As a metaphor, slim pickings may represent anything that’s scare and rare, be it food on the table or opportunities for success.