chump change
noun
- noun (chiefly US, idiomatic) An amount of remuneration, reward, or other monetary recompense considered to be insultingly small. “If you sell one of those cars, your commission will be chump change.”
- noun (chiefly US, idiomatic) A sum of money considered to be insignificant. “He spent $300,000 for his new car, but that's chump change for a billionaire like him.”
Synonyms
petty cash pocket money walk-around money walking-around money small change pocket change loose change spare change pittance chickenfeed
Etymology
From the idea that only chumps would fall for it. The neutral sense is an extension from the sense concerning indignation.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “chump change”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details