coffee and cake

English

Etymology

From typically being the cheapest item in a café or diner.

Noun

coffee and cake (uncountable)

1. (slang, sometimes attributive) A trivial amount of money; peanuts.
   • 2017, Harvey Frommer, The Ultimate Yankee Book:

     Don't go help those people with their shows for coffee-and-cake money.

See also

• coffeecake
• coffee-and (adjective)

Further reading

• “coffee-and n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present
• “coffee-and adj.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present