coffee-and

English

Etymology

Ellipsis of coffee and cake.

Adjective

coffee-and (not comparable)

1. (slang, derogatory) Cheap, second-rate.
   • 1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “Not too Far Tangent”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 1 (1899–1923: A Nothin’ but a Child), page 23:

     “That coffee-an’ mac you got,” a French girl would crack to a straight one, and then it was on—hair came out by the handful, some bleached and some unbleached.

Further reading

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