The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word BAGATELLE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
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More clues leading to the result BAGATELLE
- Opening in shortened Swan Lake, perhaps, is a light piece of music
- Those attending during Giselle, eg, shortly to get trifle
- Beauty smuggling a gun, short piece
- Piano piece, opening in short musical entertainment
- Trifle with pretty girl carrying a pistol
- Ballgame beauty packs a pistol
- A cake half hidden in lovely trifle
- Trifle dish in which to put a piece
- A game is something of little importance
- Trifle dish cracked by temperature on expensive oven
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "trifle" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case trifle = bagatelle.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does BAGATELLE mean?
BAGATELLE noun- A trifle; an insubstantial thing.
- A short piece of literature or of instrumental music, typically light or playful in character.
- A game similar to billiards played on an oblong table with pockets or arches at one end only.
- Any of several smaller, wooden table top games developed from the original bagatelle in which the pockets are made of pins; also called pin bagatelle, hit-a-pin bagatelle, jaw ball.
- To meander or move around, in a manner similar to the ball in the game of bagatelle.
- To bagatellize; to regard as a bagatelle.