A pittance is an extremely small amount of money, often used to describe a wage or salary that is so low it is barely enough to survive on. The crossword solutions for this term are 'MERE' and 'NEXTTONOTHING', both of which accurately describe the concept of a pittance. MERE means 'very small in amount or degree' while next to nothing means 'almost nothing'. Together, these two words provide a vivid description of a pittance.