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Old 29-Jan-2007, 17:22
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Default Re: best creative minds / to name but a few

but = only, here: To name only a few (but, as Tdol says, the speaker isn't going to list them all).

There other contexts where but = only - 'Take pity, I am but a poor passer-by' (in fact, in quite old/mannered writing, 'but' and 'a poor ...' collocate).

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