small beer

noun

1. weak beer.

2. Chiefly British Slang.,  matters or persons of little or no importance.

small beer

noun

1. informal,  people or things of no importance

Word History and Origins

Origin of small beer¹

First recorded in 1560–70

Idioms and Phrases

Also, small potatoes. Of little importance, as in Don't listen to Henry; he's small beer, or It's silly to worry about that bill; it's small potatoes. The first term alludes to a beer of low alcoholic content (also called light beer today) and was used metaphorically by Shakespeare in several plays. The variant may have been invented by frontiersman Davy Crockett; it was first recorded in 1836. Also see small fry, def. 2.