Trifle vs Pittance - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between trifle and pittance

is that trifle is an english dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream while pittance is a small allowance of food and drink; a scanty meal.

As a verb trifle

is to deal with something as if it were of little importance or worth.

trifle

English

Noun

An English dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream.

An insignificant amount.

* {{quote-book, year=1928, author=Lawrence R. Bourne

, title=Well Tackled! , chapter=17 citation , passage=Commander Birch was a trifle uneasy when he found there was more than a popple on the sea; it was, in fact, distinctly choppy. Strictly speaking, he ought to have been following up the picket–boat, but he was satisfied that the circumstances were sufficiently urgent for him to take risks.}}

Anything that is of little importance or worth.

* Shakespeare

Trifles light as air / Are to the jealous confirmation strong / As proofs of holy writ.

* Drayton

with such poor trifles playing

A particular kind of pewter.

(uncountable) Utensils made from this particular kind of pewter.

Synonyms

See also: . * (insignificant amount) iota, jot, scrap, whit * (thing of little importance or worth) bagatelle, minor detail, whiffle

Derived terms

* a trifle

Verb

(trifl)

To deal with something as if it were of little importance or worth.

To act, speak, or otherwise behave with jest.

To inconsequentially toy with something.

To squander or waste.

Anagrams

* * ----

pittance

English

Noun

(en noun)

A small allowance of food and drink; a scanty meal.

A meagre allowance of money or wages.

* 1898 , , (Moonfleet) Chapter 5

So I went to keep house with him at the Why Not? and my aunt sent down my bag of clothes, and would have made over to Elzevir the pittance that my father left for my keep, but he said it was not needful, and he would have none of it.

A small amount.