small beer

American  

noun

1. weak beer.

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

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small beer British  

noun

1. informal people or things of no importance

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small beer Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of small beer

First recorded in 1560–70

Example Sentences

Incredibly, trial lawyers fought these small beer changes, which the Citizens Budget Commission estimates could save drivers some $200 a year.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

At the blog Why Evolution is True, biostatistician Gregory Mayer described Farina and Gibbon's findings as "small beer."

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2022

Each night, she drinks a small beer, and says an appendectomy has been her only health issue so far.

From Reuters • May 5, 2021

Who caught his death by drinking cold small beer,

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2017

His missus sipped Jenny’s chowder, shuddered at the taste, and reached for her mug of small beer.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson