Risk it for the Biscuit – Meaning, Origin and Usage
It’s not uncommon to hear people using the phrase ‘risk it for a biscuit’. This is an idiom, and you cannot deduce the meaning simply by looking at the individual words alone.
That’s where this article comes in. I’m going to explain the meaning of the phrase and it’s origin before going on to explain how and when you could use the phrase. Then I’ll provide several alternative phrases that you could choose to use in its place.
And without further ado, let’s get straight to it.
What is the meaning of the phrase ‘risk it for the biscuit’?
The phrase ‘risk it for a biscuit’ simply means that something is worth the risk for the reward that you get at the end of it. It can be used as a phrase to encourage others to take a risk on something because the reward is worth it, thus helping to motivate them to take an action.
The phrase can also be used to say that you feel something is worth the risk and that the risk is worth the potential reward at the end.
In the phrase ‘risk it for a biscuit’, the ‘biscuit’ part can refer to any pleasurable reward that is worth taking a risk to achieve.
What is the origin of the phrase ‘risk it for the biscuit’?
The precise origin of the phrase ‘risk it for a biscuit’ is not known. That said, however, there are those who believe that the phrase is derived from an advert for chocolate. In the 1970s there was an advertising campaign by Swisskit chocolate with a slogan that went ‘I’ll risk it for a Swisskit’.
The first recorded written use of the phrase ‘risk it for a biscuit’ came in a book called ‘Home Before Night’ written by Leonard Hugh and published in 1979. Then, in the 1980s, the phrase came to be adopted into street culture, hip hop music and rap.
The phrase ‘risk it for a biscuit’ is an example of a play on word sounds, or more specifically, of assonance. This is because there’s a resemblance of sound between the syllables in ‘risk it’ and ‘biscuit’, and there’s also a rhyming of the two stressed vowel sounds. (This is in contrast to alliteration, in which the first letters of a sequence of words is the same.) It is possibly because of this assonance that the phrase started to trend and continues to be popular.
The phrase is often heard in gambling contexts, such as in in-person and online casinos. It’s particularly popular in dice games. For example, in the popular drinking dice game Biscuit, each player rolls a pair of dice and the first person to roll a 7 becomes ‘The Biscuit’. Similarly, there are specific rules to follow regarding alcohol drinking for the group when other certain other numbers are rolled.
How and when can you use the phrase ‘risk it for the biscuit’?
The phrase ‘risk it for a biscuit’ is typically used in a variety of settings, although its most often used in casual, informal settings. You can use the phrase to encourage or motivate someone to carry out a specific task or action. Alternatively, you could use the phrase to declare that you see something as rewarding enough to take a risk for.
Here follows a selection of examples of the phrase in use:
- Nice reward – I think I’ll risk it for a biscuit
- Let’s approach the ladies and risk it for a biscuit
- Clients need to know our services are worth paying for, let’s risk it for a biscuit
- That internal job opening pays better than my current role. I think I’ll risk it for a biscuit.
- I don’t want to think how much I’d regret not doing it – have to risk it for the biscuit
What can you say in place of ‘risk it for the biscuit’?
If you’re not 100% confident about using the phrase ‘risk it for a biscuit’ then there are a variety of alternative phrases that you could choose to usse in it’s place. Here are some examples for you to consider:
- Take a chance
- It’s worth it
- It’s going to be worth it
- Take a chance, it’s worth it
- Let’s go all in
- Can you imagine winning that – I would risk it all
- Whatever it takes
Final word
So, to summarise, the phrase ‘risk it for a biscuit’ is an idiom that implies that something is worth the risk. The phrase can be used to encourage someone to take a particular action, or alternatively it can be used to show that you’re happy with a reward that you’re prepared to take a risk for.
The idiom is an example of both assonance and rhyming. The precise origin of the phrase is not known, but there are those who say it comes from an advert for Swisskit chocolate bars.
