“Beer and skittles” is a British phrase meaning something easy, relaxing, or fun, often used negatively. Skittles refers to a British game similar to bowling. The phrase has no actual connection to drinking beer or playing skittles, but rather connotes a life of luxury. Other phrases with similar meanings include “wine and roses” and “fun and games.” When used negatively, the phrase implies that something is harder than it seems.
The phrase “beer and skittles” refers to something easy, relaxing, or fun. It’s most commonly used in a negative context, as in “life isn’t just beer and skittles,” meaning that life isn’t always easy. The origins of the phrase are British and it appears in literature from the early 1800s.
In the United States, the word “skittles” in the phrase “beer and skittles” is often assumed to refer to a popular candy of that name. This seems logical, since both candy and beer are assumed to be pleasant things. In reality, however, the term refers to a British game dating back to the 1700s.
Skittles is the forerunner of bowling. It is very similar to candlestick bowling, which is still popular in New England and parts of Canada. Skittles has many versions and can be played as an individual game or as a team sport. It can be played in an indoor alley or outdoors on a lawn. In its most basic form, the game involves rolling a heavy ball towards a number of small pins, with the aim of knocking down as many of them as possible.
Skittles was and is a popular pub game. Since the main purpose of going to a pub is to drink beer or ale, this could easily be a game to play while doing it. This explains the correlation between beer and skittles.
However, the concept behind the phrase “beer and skittles” is unrelated to the actual act of drinking beer or playing skittles. The connotation is to relax, enjoy or take it easy. If someone said “it’s all beer and skittles,” he wouldn’t mean that he was actually drinking beer and playing skittles. He wanted to say that he was taking it easy or that he was living a life of luxury.
Several other similar phrases are used to express a similar sentiment. Both “wine and roses” and “fun and games” can be substituted for “beer and skittles” and mean pretty much the same thing. A person might also use “bed of roses,” “Riley’s life,” or “the easy way out” to connote a life of ease.
When someone says something isn’t all beer and skittles, they generally point out that it’s harder than it sounds. A job that seems easy, for example, may require more work than some people think. Similarly, someone who may appear to live a life of luxury may, in fact, be working long hours to afford his lifestyle.
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