The term 'minute quantities' refers to very small amounts of something. This can be seen in the crossword solutions given, which are ATOMS (5 letters), traces (6 letters), dribs (5 letters), IOTAS (5 letters) and SECONDS (7 letters). ATOMS are the smallest particles of matter, while traces and dribs refer to very small amounts of something. IOTAS are even smaller than dribs, and SECONDS are a unit of time that is very short. All of these words refer to minute quantities, and together they demonstrate the range of small amounts that can be referred to as such.