coffee and cake

noun

A trivial amount of money; peanuts.

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Meanings

nouncoffee and cake (uncountable)

alternative coffee and cakes

  1. attributiveslangsometimesuncountableA trivial amount of money; peanuts.

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

    2017, Harvey Frommer, The Ultimate Yankee Book

Origin

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

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

coffee and cake. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coffee%20and%20cake

MLA

“coffee and cake.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coffee%20and%20cake. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “coffee and cake,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coffee%20and%20cake.

Source: coffee and cake on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.