as good as a play
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Intensely amusing. It is said to have been the remark of Charles I when he attended the debate on Lord Ross*s "Divorce Bill.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “as good as a play” mean?
Intensely amusing. It is said to have been the remark of Charles I when he attended the debate on Lord Ross*s "Divorce Bill.
Is “as good as a play” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.