trifle
trifle — 名詞
1. a cold sweet dessert served in layers, usually combining cake, fruit, custard, a
英式水果盅
英式分層甜點，含蛋糕水果與卡士達
a cold sweet dessert served in layers, usually combining cake, fruit, custard, and cream in one bowl.
Lucía brought a large trifle with strawberries to the family picnic.
Lucía 帶了一大碗草莓英式水果盅去家庭野餐。
dessert noun: layered fruit-and-cake sweet
Bao chilled the trifle overnight so the cake could soak up the juice.
Bao 把水果盅冰了一整夜，好讓蛋糕吸滿果汁。
At the wedding buffet, guests lined up first for the lemon trifle.
在婚宴自助餐上，客人先排隊拿檸檬水果盅。
Emily spooned trifle into glass cups before the children arrived.
Emily 在孩子們到之前，把水果盅舀進玻璃杯裡。
用法筆記
Most common in British English. A trifle is normally presented as a layered dessert in a bowl or glass dish rather than as a cake or pastry you pick up by hand.
2. something so minor that it does not deserve much attention, worry, or money.
小事；瑣事
不值得花心力的小問題或東西
something so minor that it does not deserve much attention, worry, or money.
The missing spoon was a trifle compared with the broken water pipe.
和破掉的水管相比，少了一支湯匙只是件小事。
a trifle = something too minor to worry about
Don't let one rude comment turn a trifle into a family argument.
別讓一句無禮的話，把小事變成家庭爭吵。
To the judge, the late fee was a trifle beside the larger debt.
對法官來說，這筆逾期費和更大的債務相比只是瑣事。
Faisal laughed and called the stain on his sleeve a trifle.
Faisal 笑著說，袖子上的污漬只是件小事。
- major issue
emphasises real seriousness or importance
用法筆記
Often appears after words like 'mere' or 'just' when a speaker wants to play something down. It can describe an object, a problem, or an amount of money.
常見錯誤
trifle — 副詞
1. by a small amount; slightly, especially before an adjective or adverb.
有點
稍微；略微地
by a small amount; slightly, especially before an adjective or adverb.
I'm a trifle tired after carrying those boxes upstairs.
搬完那些箱子後，我今晚有點累。
a trifle + adjective for slight degree
The soup tasted a trifle salty after the cook added more soy sauce.
廚師又加了醬油後，這湯喝起來有點鹹。
Liang spoke a trifle too fast for the younger students.
Liang 說得有點太快，年紀小的學生跟不上。
The room felt a trifle warmer once the afternoon sun came in.
下午的陽光照進來後，房間感覺稍微暖了一些。
文法句型
a trifle + adjective
a trifle + adverb
用法筆記
This sense is mostly seen in the fixed phrase 'a trifle' before an adjective or adverb, often in slightly old-fashioned or literary English.
常見錯誤
trifle — 動詞
1. to act as if a person, problem, or duty does not matter very much.
輕忽；輕視
把人或事看得不重要
to act as if a person, problem, or duty does not matter very much.
The company trifled with safety warnings until a worker was hurt.
公司一直輕忽安全警告，直到有工人受傷。
trifle with + danger/problem = not take seriously
Never trifle with your sister's trust just to win a silly bet.
別為了贏一個蠢賭注，就輕忽你妹妹的信任。
The mayor was accused of trifling with the town's water problem.
市長被指控輕忽鎮上的供水問題。
By delaying repairs again, the landlord trifled with the tenants' safety.
房東又延後修繕，就是在輕忽房客的安全。
- heed
means to give serious attention to a warning or duty
文法句型
trifle with + person/problem/duty
用法筆記
Usually followed by 'with' and often used about serious things such as safety, feelings, or duty. It suggests careless disregard, not simple relaxation.
常見錯誤
2. to speak or behave in a playful, teasing, or careless way when the situation cal
戲鬧；戲謔
不正經地說笑或戲弄人
to speak or behave in a playful, teasing, or careless way when the situation calls for seriousness.
While the coach explained the plan, two boys trifled in the back row.
教練講解戰術時，後排有兩個男孩還在戲鬧。
intransitive use for playful, unserious behaviour
Salma laughed, but her brother kept trifling when the nurse asked a serious question.
Salma 笑了，但護理師問嚴肅問題時，她哥哥還是不停戲鬧。
The host trifled with the guests for a minute before revealing the prize.
主持人先戲弄客人一分鐘，才揭曉獎品。
Femi liked to trifle at dinner, copying his uncle's formal voice.
Femi 吃晚飯時愛戲謔地模仿叔叔一本正經的聲音。
- focus
emphasises serious attention instead of playful behaviour
文法句型
trifle
trifle with + person
用法筆記
This sense is about joking or acting unseriously when attention is expected. Use verb/3 instead when the main idea is wasting time or money.
常見錯誤
3. to waste time or money on unimportant things, or to keep playing with an object
虛耗；浪費
把時間或資源耗在小事上
to waste time or money on unimportant things, or to keep playing with an object instead of getting on with the real task.
Gabriel trifled away the afternoon browsing old comic websites.
Gabriel 把整個下午花在看舊漫畫網站上，就這樣虛耗掉了。
trifle away + time = waste it on small things
The team cannot trifle away its budget on chairs nobody needs.
團隊不能把預算浪費在沒人需要的椅子上。
Instead of packing, Wren trifled with the ribbon on the gift box.
Wren 沒去收行李，反而一直擺弄禮盒上的緞帶。
Christopher trifled away his study hour arranging coins by size.
Christopher 把讀書的一小時浪費在按大小排硬幣上。
- apply oneself
means to work seriously instead of idling
文法句型
trifle away + time/money
trifle with + object
用法筆記
Often appears in 'trifle away' for time or money, or with 'with' when someone handles an object idly. Unlike verb/2, the focus is on waste or idle handling, not joking talk.