Cheers, everyone! Today we’re going to explain what “Dutch courage” is and talk about other weird words for alcohol. We’ll talk about booze, hooch, and nipperkins, to name a few.
Booze and bottle
Let’s start with “booze.” This word comes from the Middle English “bŏus,” meaning an intoxicating drink. A book from the 1500s advises that man should “not synke in watur but swymme in boos.” Good point, but that may be a bit extreme!
“Bottle,” another word for alcohol, has a dual meaning. Obviously, it can mean a glass container that might hold beer or wine. It can also refer to the drink itself, or the practice of drinking. For example, we can say that someone who’s drunk is “deep in the bottle,” or that they “like the bottle a little too much.”
In the same way, “juice” and “sauce,” which have neutral meanings, can also be slang words for alcohol. We usually see “sauce” paired with “the,” as in, “he really likes the sauce.”
A drink versus the drink
Even the generic word “drink” often substitutes as a word for alcohol. Has anyone ever asked you to “go out for a drink”? The implication is that you’d be going out for a beer or a cocktail.
Interestingly, the meaning of “I need a drink” depends on context. If you’ve been outside on a hot day, “I need a drink” simply means “I need a big glass of water.” However, if you’ve had a rough day at work, or a big fight with your bestie, saying “I need a drink” implies that you need a swig of alcohol to reduce your stress.
On a different note, if you talk about “the drink,” it has nothing to do with beverages at all! “The drink” is slang for a body of water. For example, you could say that someone walking carelessly on a pier accidentally “fell into the drink.”
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