skittle

[skit-l]

See more synonyms for skittle on Thesaurus.com

noun Chiefly British.

skittles, (used with a singular verb) ninepins in which a wooden ball or disk is used to knock down the pins.
one of the pins used in this game.

Origin of skittle

1625–35; perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse skutill shuttle, arrow; Danish skyttel shuttle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for skittles

skittles, ninepins, candlepins, kegling

Examples from the Web for skittles

Contemporary Examples of skittles

When a deal is about to close at work, is there always a bag of Skittles within reach?
Can This Mood-Sensing Bra Curb Overeating?
Lori-Lee Emshey
December 3, 2013
And when I passed the refreshment stand on the way out of the theater, I could not help but think of Skittles.
Hollywood, Shootings, and ‘2 Guns’: When Is Stylized Violence Obscene?
Michael Daly
July 30, 2013
Martin had just taken a trip to a convenience store for a bag of Skittles candy and a can of drink.
Zimmerman Trial Gets Punked—and ‘Stand Your Ground’ Takes Center Stage
Jacqui Goddard
July 3, 2013
In the evening, he left to walk less than a mile to the 7-Eleven to get a can of soda and a bag of Skittles for Chad.
George Zimmerman Trial, Day One: ‘F--king Punks’
Jacqui Goddard
June 24, 2013
Skittles fly up behind him, a reminder of the reason Martin went to the store that night.
Trayvon Martin: Painted by Chaz Guest (PHOTOS)
Isabel Wilkinson
April 13, 2012

Historical Examples of skittles

You'll find none of the 'beer and skittles' of the country up here.
Captain Desmond, V.C.
Maud Diver
"They received me and my news as one receives a dog in a game of skittles," said he in conclusion.
War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy
Bless me, everything's beer and skittles with you just at present then!
The History of Sir Richard Calmady
Lucas Malet
The children as good as usual, and even Skittles jolly to the last.
The Life of Charles Dickens, Vol. I-III, Complete
John Forster
The broken peg skittles dealt with above will do admirably for this (Fig. 34).
Toy-Making at Home
Morley Adams

British Dictionary definitions for skittles

skittle

noun

a wooden or plastic pin, typically widest just above the base
Also called (esp US): ninepins (plural; functioning as singular) a bowling game in which players knock over as many skittles as possible by rolling a wooden ball at them
beer and skittles (often used with a negative) informal an easy time; amusement

Word Origin for skittle

C17: of obscure origin; perhaps related to Swedish, Danish skyttel shuttle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for skittles

game played with nine pins, 1630s, plural of skittle, the word for the pins used in the game, probably from a Scandinavian source (cf. Danish and Norwegian skyttel "shuttle, child's toy"). But OED says there is no evidence of a connection.