beer and skittles

== English == === Alternative forms === skittles and beer === Etymology === Found as early as 1837, in Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, where it appears in the form, “It’s a reg’lar holiday to them—all porter and skittles”. The most common form, as a negative admonition, appears to have been popularized by Thomas Hughes in Tom Brown's School Days (1857, see quotation below). === Pronunciation === === Noun === beer and skittles pl (plural only) (chiefly UK, idiomatic) Fun times; pleasure and leisure. Synonyms: peaches and cream, bed of roses, bowl of cherries, sunshine and rainbows; see also Thesaurus:pleasure ==== Usage notes ==== Often used in the negative, "not all beer and skittles". ==== Derived terms ==== life is not all beer and skittles ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== === Anagrams === skittles and beer