bottle1

[bot-l] /ˈbɒt l/
noun
1.
a portable container for holding liquids, characteristically having a neck and mouth and made of glass or plastic.
2.
the contents of such a container; as much as such a container contains:
a bottle of wine.
3.
bottled cow's milk, milk formulas, or substitute mixtures given to infants instead of mother's milk:
raised on the bottle.
4.
the bottle, intoxicating beverages; liquor:
He became addicted to the bottle.
verb (used with object), bottled, bottling.
5.
to put into or seal in a bottle:
to bottle grape juice.
6.
British. to preserve (fruit or vegetables) by heating to a sufficient temperature and then sealing in a jar.
Verb phrases
7.
bottle up,
  1. to repress, control, or restrain:
    He kept all of his anger bottled up inside him.
  2. to enclose or entrap:
    Traffic was bottled up in the tunnel.
Idioms
8.
hit the bottle, Slang. to drink alcohol to excess often or habitually.
Origin
1325-75; Middle English botel < Anglo-French; Old French bo(u)teille < Medieval Latin butticula, equivalent to Late Latin butti(s) butt4 + -cula -cule1
Related forms
bottlelike, adjective
well-bottled, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for hit the bottle

bottle1

/ˈbɒtəl/
noun
1.
  1. a vessel, often of glass and typically cylindrical with a narrow neck that can be closed with a cap or cork, for containing liquids
  2. (as modifier): a bottle rack
2.
Also called bottleful. the amount such a vessel will hold
3.
  1. a container equipped with a teat that holds a baby's milk or other liquid; nursing bottle
  2. the contents of such a container: the baby drank his bottle
4.
short for magnetic bottle
5.
(Brit, slang) nerve; courage (esp in the phrase lose one's bottle)
6.
(Brit, slang) money collected by street entertainers or buskers
7.
(Austral, slang) full bottle, well-informed and enthusiastic about something
8.
(informal) the bottle, drinking of alcohol, esp to excess
verb (transitive)
9.
to put or place (wine, beer, jam, etc) in a bottle or bottles
10.
to store (gas) in a portable container under pressure
11.
(slang) to injure by thrusting a broken bottle into (a person)
12.
(Brit, slang) (of a busker) to collect money from the bystanders
See also bottle out, bottle up
Word Origin
C14: from Old French botaille, from Medieval Latin butticula literally: a little cask, from Late Latin buttis cask, butt4

bottle2

/ˈbɒtəl/
noun
1.
(dialect) a bundle, esp of hay
Word Origin
C14: from Old French botel, from botte bundle, of Germanic origin
Word Origin and History for hit the bottle

bottle

n.

mid-14c., originally of leather, from Old French boteille (12c., Modern French bouteille), from Vulgar Latin butticula, diminutive of Late Latin buttis "a cask," which is perhaps from Greek. The bottle, figurative for "liquor," is from 17c.

v.

1640s, from bottle (n.). Related: Bottled; bottling.

Slang definitions & phrases for hit the bottle

hit the bottle

verb phrase

To drink liquor, esp rapidly and to excess; booze: If he keeps hitting the bottle they'll have to dry him out (1889+)


bottle

noun
  1. A bottle or bottle's amount of liquor; jug: He had a bottle on him (late 1600s+)
  2. A glass insulator for electric or communications lines (1900s+ Line repairers)
  3. A vacuum tube (1920s+ Radio operators)
Related Terms

fight a bottle, hit the bottle


hit the bottle in the Bible

a vessel made of skins for holding wine (Josh. 9:4. 13; 1 Sam. 16:20; Matt. 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37, 38), or milk (Judg. 4:19), or water (Gen. 21:14, 15, 19), or strong drink (Hab. 2:15). Earthenware vessels were also similarly used (Jer. 19:1-10; 1 Kings 14:3; Isa. 30:14). In Job 32:19 (comp. Matt. 9:17; Luke 5:37, 38; Mark 2:22) the reference is to a wine-skin ready to burst through the fermentation of the wine. "Bottles of wine" in the Authorized Version of Hos. 7:5 is properly rendered in the Revised Version by "the heat of wine," i.e., the fever of wine, its intoxicating strength. The clouds are figuratively called the "bottles of heaven" (Job 38:37). A bottle blackened or shrivelled by smoke is referred to in Ps. 119:83 as an image to which the psalmist likens himself.

Idioms and Phrases with hit the bottle

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.

bottle

In addition to the idiom beginning with
bottle
also see:
Encyclopedia Article for hit the bottle

bottle

narrow-necked, rigid or semirigid container that is primarily used to hold liquids and semiliquids. It usually has a close-fitting stopper or cap to protect the contents from spills, evaporation, or contact with foreign substances.

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