scant?

[queenbee]

Could anyone tell me what this means regarding recipes, I have come across it just lately in many recipe books. It is usually used in measurement eg. 3oz of or scant half a cup. Is this an American term or I am I being so stupid that it is something quite obvious that my scatterbrained self is not seeing.

[queenbee]

[RenishawPhil]

It means a small measure.

[queenbee]

Thanks Notts_phil, but In all my years cooking I have never come across this term Mrs Beaton did not include it in her cook book it just does not make sense to me.

[RenishawPhil]

It's the opposite of saying s heaped teaspoon

[tricia]

Just under.......slightly less than................when used in cooking measure terms.

Tricia