The phrase "a mere bit" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to emphasize that something is small or insignificant in comparison to something else.
Example: "I only need a mere bit of your time to discuss this important matter."
Alternatives: "just a small amount" or "only a little bit".
That would be a pointless lie, a mere bit of artfulness".
Next to all this statesmanship, Mr Hollande has been forced to play a mere bit part, saying the right things but always from the shadows.At a time of uncertainty and national drama, the incumbent has an unfair advantage.
In that time MGM has withered, reduced to a mere bit player among Hollywood's film factories.
Just ask Diego Maradona, a mere bit-part player in the Barcelona story.
It also neglected to consult China before revealing to the Americans last October that it had a uranium-enrichment programme.North Korea resents having been forced to depend so much on China since the collapse of its other main benefactor, the Soviet Union Russiaa is now a mere bit-actor in North Korea's economy).
And not only will they be mere bit players in bit players: the government has imposed operating limits.
As in life, they are more than mere bit parts on the periphery.
Back in the actual poll, however, other familiar scapegoats are dismissed as mere bit part players.
Open 24 hours, Gam Mee Ok has only eight dishes: sul long tang is the star and the others mere bit players.
Indeed, the super-donor arms war further relegates political parties to mere bit players while alienating everyday people – and at precisely the time when their voices and their involvement are needed most.
As with Heatter's popovers, all you need is a blender and the merest bit of ambition, and you'll have a new favorite dessert.
