Both Uses
trifle
in
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
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- Metaphors are not to be trifled with.†
Chpt 1 *trifled with = treated thoughtlessly or without respect
- We would have been shocked, on the other hand, if Beethoven had transformed the seriousness of his quartet into the trifling joke of a four-voice canon about Dembscher's purse.†
Chpt 5 *
Definitions:
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(1)
(trifle as in: a trifling matter) something of small importance; or a small quantity
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(2)
(trifle with as in: trifle with her affections) to treat somebody or something thoughtlessly or without respect
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(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) A trifle can refer to a kind of dessert. In classic literature, trifling can be a synonym for small talk.