hit the bottle

hit the bottle

To drink alcohol, especially to excess. All this stress at work right now is enough to make me hit the bottle.See also: bottle, hit

hit the bottle

 and hit the boozeFig. Inf. to go on a drinking bout; to get drunk. Jed's hitting the bottle again. He's been hitting the booze for a week now.See also: bottle, hit

hit the bottle

Also, hit the booze or sauce . Drink alcoholic beverages, especially a great deal, as in I don't know if it will be a problem, but he hits the bottle every weekend, or She hardly ever hits the booze, but when she does, watch out, or It doesn't show in her work, but she hits the sauce every night. These slangy expressions date from the late 1800s and early 1900s. See also: bottle, hit

hit the bottle

INFORMALIf someone hits the bottle, they drink too much alcohol. One newspaper even said I'd started hitting the bottle. Complete rubbish. These teenagers hit the bottle to rebel.See also: bottle, hit

hit (or be on) the bottle

start to drink alcohol heavily, especially in an attempt to escape from one's problems. informalSee also: bottle, hit

hit the ˈbottle

(informal) regularly drink too much: She managed to resist alcohol for a year, then hit the bottle again when her husband died. ♢ He’s really hitting the bottle at the moment.See also: bottle, hit

hit the bottle

and hit the booze tv. to go on a drinking bout; to get drunk. She got caught hitting the bottle in the office. He’s been hitting the booze for a week now. See also: bottle, hit