People jockeying for position, nudging their way across the flow, pressing forward or backward by small degrees.

Mr, Peabody worked his way up by small degrees, from a clerk in America to a banker in London.

He had begun by small degrees, just taking a nip now and then, till he had become-andthat very rapidly- aharddrinker.

Translate: "and understand to what end the New Comedy was adopted, which by small degrees degenerated into a mere show of skill in mimicry."

By small degrees it gathered pace.