tipple
/ˈtɪp(ə)l
/verb [no object]
1Drink alcohol, especially habitually: those who liked to tipple and gamble...
- As most readers may guess, I occasionally tipple, imbibe, or more accurately… consume copious amounts of alcoholic beverages from the high heel pumps of women of ill repute.
- This is the drink the movers and shakers are sure to be seen tippling at sporting venues throughout the world.
- These award-winning ales have been sunk in Helsinki, knocked back in New York and tippled in Tokyo.
Synonyms
drink alcohol, drink, have a drink
informal indulge, imbibe, booze, take a drop, wet one's whistle, knock something back, hit the bottle, take to the bottle, crack a bottle
British informal bevvy
North American informal bend one's elbow
archaic wassail, tope
drink, swallow, gulp (down), guzzle, quaff, attack, down, drink up/down, get down, finish off, polish off, drain, empty, wash something down with, have, take, partake of, ingest, consume, sup, sip, lap
informal sink, kill, imbibe, swig, glug, slug, slurp, swill, hit, knock back, dispose of, toss off, get one's laughing gear round
British informal get outside (of), shift, murder, neck, bevvy
North American informal snarf, chug, scarf (down)
archaic bib
2 (it tipples down, it is tippling down, etc.) British informal Rain heavily: it was tippling down with rain
noun informal
An alcoholic drink: she drank several glasses of sherry, her favourite tipple...
- Today, he should be enjoying a well-earned retirement, putting his feet up by the pool in his garden and enjoying a rum and Coke, his favourite tipple, as a sundowner.
- Some boats make an additional charge for all pre-packaged drinks, whereas others charge extra only for alcoholic tipples.
- After that, they enjoyed a night together with a glass of their favourite tipples - whisky and lemonade for Freda, rum and peppermint for Ron.
Synonyms
alcoholic drink, strong drink, drink, liquor, intoxicant;
beverage, liquid refreshment;
drop, dram, draught, swallow, sip, gulp, nip, tot, bracer, chaser
informal booze, hard stuff, hooch, poison, tincture, libation, swig, slug, glug, swill, snifter
informal, dated quaff
Origin
Late 15th century (in the sense 'sell (alcoholic drink) by retail'): back-formation from tippler1.
To tipple was originally to sell alcoholic liquor, not to drink it. It came in the late 15th century from earlier tippler ‘a seller of alcohol’, the source of which is unknown, though it may be related to Norwegian dialect tipla ‘to drip slowly’. Emphasis moved to the drinker towards the end of the 16th century.