Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“Looking back, I feel now that on my 4th album ‘less is more’ should have been the way to go.”
- Britney Spears, pop singer, talking about her fourth album, In the Zone (Entertainment Weekly).
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
don’t overdo it; shorter, smaller, or subtler is better
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
To say less is more might seem like a contradiction, but what it really means is that less is more effective. This expression can be used to say that it’s best to do something quickly, or that it’s better to use a small amount of something. In general it means “don’t overdo it.” The expression was first used by the English poet Robert Browning to describe the ease and simplicity of painter Andrea del Sarto’s work.
In the Zone is Britney Spears’ least successful album to date, and it is also her most adventurous. The pop singer experimented with various collaborators including Moby and Madonna. Spears now believes that the album might have been more successful if it had been simpler and more straightforward. When she recorded In the Zone Spears didn’t believe that less is more, but now she does.
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“I think less is more when it comes to the lengths of films. I like movies to wrap up in 90 minutes.”
“Less is more for me when I drink alcohol. I hate being too drunk.”