coffee and cake

English

Alternative forms

• coffee and cakes

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

• Jonathon Green (2024) “coffee-and n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang
• Jonathon Green (2024) “coffee-and adj.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang