A large dollop

[masterding]

Quote from NBCNews:
"Let’s say you’re asked to write a recipe for the most sensational murder trial of the year. It might go something like this:
One charismatic victim.
One smart, sexy defendant.
A dash of religion. A large dollop of sex. Dozens of gra phic photos. An unspeakable act of violence."
My question is :
Does "dollop" here mean "a small amount of something" or "a large amount of something"?

Definition by Webster Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary ,2: a usually small amount of something .
▪ A dollop of milk was left in the container.▪ large dollops of wit and humor
Definition by Macmillan dollop - definition of dollop by Macmillan Dictionary 2 a large amount of something.
You'll need a big dollop of luck to succeed.
So does ""dollop" mean "a small amount of something" or "a large amount of something" or it pretty much depends on the context?
Thanks!

 

[probus]

I think both the dictionaries you consulted are wrong. This is shown by the fact that their examples apply the adjectives small and large to dollop. To my mind a dollop is a lump or blob, an amorphous mass of something, and it can be small or large.

 

[5jj]

This is shown by the fact that their examples aooly the adjectives small and large to dollop.

I assume that's a typo., and that it should be 'apply'.

 

[SoothingDave]

I think both the dictionaries you consulted are wrong. This is shown by the fact that their examples aooly the adjectives small and large to dollop. To my mind a dollop is a lump or blob, an amorphous mass of something, and it can be small or large.

Dollop | Define Dollop at Dictionary.com

They're not wrong. Definition 1 is a lump or blob.

The original poster here focused on definition 2 to the exclusion of definition 1.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm a little confused by the example sentence given in definition 1 in post #1. "A dollop of milk was left in the container" is a very unnatural sentence as far as I'm concerned. Once my milk has starting forming "dollops", it's way past its best and should be in the bin! Double cream - now THAT can (and should) come in dollops, and preferably on a lovely sticky dessert, like this: