The phrase "a few dear" is not standard in written English and may cause confusion.
It could be used in a context where someone is referring to a small number of beloved people or things, but it is not commonly used this way.
Example: "I have a few dear friends who always support me in tough times."
Alternatives: "a few beloved" or "a few cherished".
Microlending and financial literacy (now I'm going to upset people who are wonderful folks and a few dear friends) — what is this really about?
"The Mount," Wharton wrote in her autobiography, "was to give me country cares and joys, long happy rides and drives through the wooded lanes of that loveliest region, the companionship of a few dear friends, and the freedom from trivial obligations, which was necessary if I was to go on with my writing".
What I didn't expect, and perhaps naively, was the immediate pushback from a few, dear white friends.
Barring a few dear sober pals (no pun intended... OK, intended), almost every time I've stuck and poked my friends, much liquor was involved, making them significantly and comfortably numb.
Another day, with our help and an 11 p.m. visit by our lawyer, he wrote a will, leaving his possessions to his siblings and a few dear ones and setting the intention to establish a fund to support students with disabilities at Princeton, a project that many of you have generously helped transform into a reality.
He warned a group of officers that the new mail was bound to include a few brutal Dear John or Dear Jane letters.
The New Yorker, June 28 , 1947P. 18 Letter from a department store to a customer who had ordered a few things: Dear Mrs. M - Your order is sincerely appreciated.
By L. W. Fifield and Brendan Gill The New Yorker, June 28 , 1947P. 18 Letter from a department store to a customer who had ordered a few things: Dear Mrs. M - Your order is sincerely appreciated.
But Tesco's Clipper Fairtrade tea bags are now just a few pence dearer than an equivalent box of PG Tips.
Determined to bone up on this field she read a few pages of dear Norman's 'The N & the D,' but put it away in a sad fit of boredom.
The New Yorker, December 10 , 1966P. 50 A Congressman who lost his seat in the November elections received the following letter a few days later: Dear Congressman: We sincerely regret the result of the latest election contest.
