Little to No

[Slava]

Why do we say "little to no", and not "no to little"?

Any ideas?

[gailr]

In comparisons of this type, the language is reflecting a nuance of scale, in this case, looking at a range of probable chances. "Little to no starts" with some chance -- in this case, little -- and ends with no chance, emphasizing the hopelessness of the endeavor.

Saying "no to little" would imply starting with no chance at all and ending with hope of some chance, with the implication that there is possibility, although small.

[Perry]

And yet, our supersize society does often say "no to little". But that is an entirely different matter.