child's play

noun

1. something very easily done.

child's play

noun

1. informal,  something that is easy to do

Word History and Origins

Origin of child's play¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Idioms and Phrases

Something easily done, a trivial matter. For example, Finding the answer was child's play for Robert, or The fight we had was child's play compared to the one I had with my mother! Originating in the early 1300s as child's game, the idiom was already used in its present form by Chaucer in The Merchant's Tale: “It is no child's play to take a wife.”

Example Sentences

If you don’t know how well the public schools are doing, it’s child’s play to script a narrative of failure.

From Los Angeles Times

"This is not child's play, and we can pray for good health, but also recognise that if you're not in good enough health to do the job, you shouldn't be doing the job," he added.

From BBC

"This is not child's play, and we can pray for good health, but also recognize that if you're not in good enough health to do the job, you shouldn't be doing the job," he added.

From BBC

My niece is part of Generation Alpha — born between 2013 and the mid-2020s — and while they're still kids, their exposure to digital marketing is anything but child's play.

From Salon

This week’s Slate News Quiz is child’s play.

From Slate