touch of

a touch of (something)

1. A small amount of something. She had a touch of grey in her hair, but otherwise you would never guess that she was nearly 60. There was a touch of hesitation in his voice. I'll just have a touch of wine with my meal, thanks.
2. A mild case of something (i.e., some illness or ailment). A: "Are you all right? You sound quite ill." B: "I'm fine, just a touch of bronchitis." It's just such a shame that she came down with a touch of the flu during her vacation.
See also: of, touch
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

touch of something

 
1. a mild case of some illness. I have a touch of the flu and need some more bed rest.
2. a little bit of something, particularly a small helping of food or drink. A: How about some more? What do you need? B: I'll have just a touch of that meatloaf if there's enough to go around.
See also: of, touch
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • a touch of (something)
  • a mystery to (one)
  • appear to
  • able to do
  • able to do it
  • a change of heart
  • (one) can whistle for it
  • a turn of phrase
  • a shoulder to cry on
  • a piece of the action
References in classic literature
The touch of his hand on hers was vastly more potent than any word he could utter, the impact of his strength on her imagination was more alluring than the printed poems and spoken passions of a thousand generations of lovers.
The touch of his hand was pleasant to her, and something deliciously more than pleasant.
But, in the intensity of her look there was a touch of dread or horror.
Tom was somewhat inclined to resent the patronizing air of his new friend, a boy of just about his own height and age, but gifted with the most transcendent coolness and assurance, which Tom felt to be aggravating and hard to bear, but couldn't for the life of him help admiring and envying--especially when young my lord begins hectoring two or three long loafing fellows, half porter, half stableman, with a strong touch of the blackguard, and in the end arranges with one of them, nicknamed Cooey, to carry Tom's luggage up to the School-house for sixpence.
I had mechanically turned in this latter direction, and was strolling along the lonely high-road--idly wondering, I remember, what the Cumberland young ladies would look like--when, in one moment, every drop of blood in my body was brought to a stop by the touch of a hand laid lightly and suddenly on my shoulder from behind me.
"You are very kind, and I am very, very thankful to have met you." The first touch of womanly tenderness that I had heard from her trembled in her voice as she said the words; but no tears glistened in those large, wistfully attentive eyes of hers, which were still fixed on me.
But I couldn't resist asking him, out of sheer waggery, whether he didn't think a touch of powder, and even, very judiciously applied, a touch of rouge, was an improvement to woman.
They are, moreover, of a rough coarse nature, not sensitive to the delicate touch of the highly organized Polygon.
These phases of the walk remained written on John's memory, each emphasised by the touch of that light hand on his arm; and behind all these aspects of the nocturnal city he saw, in his mind's-eye, a picture of the lighted drawing-room at home where he had sat talking with Flora; and his father, from the other end, had looked on with a kind and ironical smile.
Over the crown of the Calton Hill, to his left, lay the way to Colette's, where Alan would soon be looking for his arrival, and where he would now have no more consented to go than he would have wilfully wallowed in a bog; the touch of the girl's hand on his sleeve, and the kindly light in his father's eyes, both loudly forbidding.
The touch of the Queen's soft white hand did the poor little sick child no good, and it is quaint to remember that the great learned doctor thought it might be because he had been touched by the wrong royal hand.
Their topics include the structure of the phonetical touch: unsettling the mastery of phonology over phonetics, surplus of touch: from the forest of symbols to the jungle of touch, anatomical aporia: speculative unity of touch and language, on the touch of swear words: swearing and the Lacanian real, and haptic contagion: the scream mutating touch and language.
Guests are automatically greeted and told how to use the interactive directory without losing the personal touch of human customer service.
A simple touch of the start button provides the required cycle every time, resulting in lower energy bills and quicker turnaround, according to the manufacturer.