Risk It for the Biscuit

Risk it for the biscuit is an idiomatic phrase, that is used for encouragement, in opportunities where risks must be taken in order to reach a desirable prize.

The phrase is a play on the rhymes risk it and biscuit, with biscuit standing as a metaphor for monetary or some other kind of reward.

While the exact origin of the expression is not known, the earliest possible trace of it emerging from the advertisement slogan of the Swisskit chocolate bar in the 70’s, which went as “I’ll risk it for a Swisskit”.

The first documented case of the phrase comes from the 1979 book of Leonard Hugh; “Home Before Night”.

“Risk it for a biscuit” would appear in this form during the 1980’s, according to Cassel’s Dictionary of Slang, first showing up in the colloquialisms of Ireland.

The expression would become a part of slang all across the Anglophone world, emerging in pop culture phenomena like the 2009 comedy flick, “Fired Up!” or the 2010 song from Tiny Tempah; “Frisky”.

“Risk it for a biscuit wouldn’t be defined on Urban Dictionary until 2014.

• Quora – What does “risk it for a chocolate biscuit” mean? Where did it come from?
• Urban Dictionary – Risk it for the biscuit