skittles

Everyday

1. A game in which you roll a ball to knock down wooden pins; like bowling. tree →
2. (plural of skittle) The wooden or plastic pins used in this game. tree →
3. (a name) Skittles is a brand of small, fruity, colourful chewy sweets (candies). tree →

In the lessons

In PE and at parties, children play skittles with plastic pins and a ball. In pubs in England, skittles is a traditional game. In maths, skittles are good for counting problems: "10 skittles, 7 knocked down — how many standing?" 10 − 7 = 3. The sweets are popular in the US, UK and elsewhere. Phrases: play skittles, a skittle alley, knock down the skittles, a bag of Skittles.

Examples

• We played skittles in the garden. tree →
• I knocked down eight skittles with one ball. tree →
• If you knock down 6 of 9 skittles, 3 are still standing. tree →
• My friend shared her bag of Skittles. tree →
• The skittles fell over with a clatter. tree →
• Grandad plays skittles at the pub on Fridays. tree →

Note

The game takes a singular verb: "Skittles is fun." The pins are countable: "a skittle, skittles". The sweets are a brand name with a capital S. In maths: standing = total − knocked down.