trifle

n.

1. Something of little importance or value.
2. A small amount; a jot.
3. A dessert typically consisting of plain or sponge cake soaked in sherry, rum, or brandy and topped with layers of jam or jelly, custard, and whipped cream.
4. 1. A moderately hard variety of pewter.
   2. trifles Utensils made from this variety of pewter.

v., -fled, -fling, -fles.

v.intr.

1. To deal with something as if it were of little significance or value.
2. To act, perform, or speak with little seriousness or purpose; jest.
3. To play or toy with something: Don't trifle with my affections. See synonyms at flirt.

v.tr.
To waste (time or money, for example).

idiom:

a trifle

1. Very little; somewhat: a trifle stingy.

[Middle English trufle, trifle, from Old French trufle, mockery, diminutive of truffe, deception.]

trifler tri'fler (trī'flər) n.

Cold dessert made from sponge cake soaked in fruit juice or sweet wine, covered with custard sauce and whipped cream, and decorated.

[TRI-fuhl] Originally from England, this dessert consists of sponge cake or ladyfingers doused with spirits (usuallysherry) covered with jam and custard, topped with whipped cream and garnished with candied or fresh fruit, nuts or grated chocolate. Trifle is refrigerated for several hours before serving.

also trifle away

noun

1. Something or things that are unimportant: fiddle-faddle, frippery, frivolity, froth, minutia, nonsense, small change, small potatoes, trivia, triviality. See important/unimportant, surface/depth.
2. A small showy article: bauble, bibelot, gewgaw, gimcrack, knickknack, novelty, toy, trinket, whatnot. See thing.
3. A tiny amount: bit¹, crumb, dab¹, dash, dot, dram, drop, fragment, grain, iota, jot, minim, mite, modicum, molecule, ort, ounce, particle, scrap¹, scruple, shred, smidgen, speck, tittle, whit. Chiefly British spot. See big/small/amount.

verb

1. To treat lightly or flippantly: dally, flirt, play, toy. See work/play.
2. To move one's fingers or hands in a nervous or aimless fashion: fiddle, fidget, fool, monkey, play, putter, tinker, toy, twiddle. See touch/not touch.
3. To make amorous advances without serious intentions: coquet, dally, flirt, toy. See sex/asexual.

phrasal verb - trifle away

1. To pass (time) without working or in avoiding work: dawdle (away), fiddle away, idle (away), kill¹, waste, while (away), wile (away). See industrious/lazy.
2. To spend (money) excessively and usually foolishly: consume, dissipate, fool away, fritter away, riot away, squander, throw away, waste. Slang blow¹. See save/waste.

n

Definition: very small amount
Antonyms: lot

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IN BRIEF: Something of small importance. Also: Jam-spread sponge cake soaked in wine served with custard sauce.

Passion costs me too much to bestow it on every trifle. — Thomas Adams

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Trifle

Dansk (Danish)
n. - bagatel, ubetydelighed
v. intr. - lege med, fjase
v. tr. - spilde, ubetydeliggøre, bagatellisere

idioms:

• trifle away    spilde, øde bort

Nederlands (Dutch)
beetje, kleinigheid, soort custardtoetje, lichtvaardig handelen of spreken, spotten

Français (French)
n. - bagatelle, insignifiance, un tantinet, sans importance, broutilles, (GB, Culin) diplomate
v. intr. - jouer avec, traiter qn à la légère, badiner
v. tr. - gaspiller (le temps)

idioms:

• trifle away    gaspiller, perdre

Deutsch (German)
n. - Kleinigkeit, ein bißchen, Trifle (Dessert)
v. - tändeln, achtlos behandeln, verschwenden

idioms:

• trifle away    verschwenden, vertrödeln

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ψιλοπράγμα, πραγματάκι, μικροποσό, ασήμαντο γεγονός, (Βρετ.) αφράτο γλύκισμα, λίγο, κομματάκι
v. - κατατρίβομαι, παίζω, σαχλαμαρίζω

idioms:

• trifle away    χαραμίζω, (κατα)σπαταλώ, χάνω άσκοπα

Italiano (Italian)
bazzecola, inezia, gingillarsi

idioms:

• trifle away    sprecare

Português (Portuguese)
n. - bagatela (f), ninharia (f)
v. - esbanjar, gracejar, brincar, vadear

idioms:

• trifle away    esbanjar

Русский (Russian)
пустяк, безделушка, заниматься пустяками, возиться, несерьезно относиться

idioms:

• trifle away    несерьезно проводить время

Español (Spanish)
n. - bagatela, fruslería, insignificancia
v. intr. - burlar, bromear
v. tr. - hablar u obrar con ligereza o frivolidad

idioms:

• trifle away    malgastar, desperdiciar

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - bagatell, småsak, obetydlighet, struntsumma
v. - leka (skämta) med, (sitta och) leka med, peta, fingra, förspilla tiden, slå dank

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
小事, 琐事, 小玩意儿, 小装饰品, 琐碎的东西, 少量, 少许, 开玩笑, 玩忽, 闲聊, 浪费, 虚度

idioms:

• trifle away    浪费

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 小事, 瑣事, 小玩意兒, 小裝飾品, 瑣碎的東西, 少量, 少許
v. intr. - 開玩笑, 玩忽, 閒聊
v. tr. - 浪費, 虛度

idioms:

• trifle away    浪費

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 사소한 일, 소량, 땜납
v. intr. - 농담을 하다, 희롱하다, 경시하다
v. tr. - 낭비하다

idioms:

• trifle away    낭비하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - つまらないもの, 少量, トライフル, 白目, 白目製品, ささいなこと
v. - ふざける, もてあそぶ, 浪費する

idioms:

• trifle away    浪費する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) كعكه منقوعه بالخمر تشتمل على مربى وفاكهه مخفوقه, ألتريفل (فعل) يسخر, يمزح‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮דבר קל-ערך, דבר פעוט, סכום זעום, קצת, משהו, עוגה‬
v. intr. - ‮השתעשע, הקל ראש ב-, בזבז זמן, לא לקח ברצינות את‬
v. tr. - ‮זילזל, בזבז זמן, מרץ, כסף וכו'‬

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