All 5 Uses of
trifle
in
The Princess Bride
- "I am no one to be trifled with," replied the man in black "That is all you ever need to know."†
p. 180.5 *trifled with = treated thoughtlessly or without respect
- He had a giant scar slanting down each cheek and seemed like no one to trifle with.†
p. 287.6trifle with = treat thoughtlessly or without respect
- The woman who emerged was a trifle thinner, a great deal wiser, an ocean sadder.†
p. 69.4 *
- As to Inigo's personal life, he was always just a trifle hungry, he had no brothers or sisters, and his mother had died in childbirth.†
p. 120.6
- Both her words and her tone were a trifle standoffish, something Westley surely would have noticed had not a R.O.U.S. attacked him from the tree branch, sinking its giant teeth into his unprotected shoulder, forcing him to earth in a very unexpected spurt of blood.†
p. 213.2
Definitions:
-
(1)
(trifle as in: a trifling matter) something of small importance; or a small quantity
-
(2)
(trifle with as in: trifle with her affections) to treat somebody or something thoughtlessly or without respect
-
(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Less commonly, a trifle can refer to a kind of dessert. In classic literature, trifling can be a synonym for small talk.