fry vs small fry

fry and small fry both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
fry	Yes	No	Yes	No
small fry	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, fry and small fry are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of fry include child, kid, minor, nestling, nipper, shaver, tiddler, tike, tyke, youngster.

fry (noun)	small fry (noun)
a young person of either sex	someone who is small and insignificant
	a young person of either sex

fry (verb)	small fry (verb)
cook in hot fat or oil
kill by electrocution, as in the electric chair
be excessively hot