English

Noun

beer and skittles ‎(uncountable)

1. (chiefly Britain, idiomatic) Fun times; pleasure and leisure.
   • 1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's School Days, part I, chapter 2:

     Well, well, we must bide our time. Life isn't all beer and skittles—but beer and skittles, or something better of the same sort, must form a good part of every Englishman's education.

   • 1911, Anthony Hope, Mrs. Maxon Protests, ch. 22:

     Being a soldier's wife isn't all beer and skittles.

   • 2012 Mar. 24, John Walsh, "The perils of reviewing restaurants," The Independent (UK) (retrieved 24 July 2015):

     His plight reveals a truth that's often obscured by the envy of newspaper readers; that it's not all beer and skittles in restaurant-critic land.

Usage notes

• Often used in the negative, "not all beer and skittles".

Synonyms

• peaches and cream
• bowl of cherries

Translations