BENGALURU: It’s always fascinating to trace the origins of words or phrases, and it is not surprising to know that alcohol and spirits are the centerpiece of many of these. Most likely because a bar or pub is usually most conducive to inebriated stories and folklore. No wonder a bartender is associated with being a shoulder to cry on or the first person to hear some good news, or being an attentive listener, of course, in addition to his bartending skills.
Take the word ‘booze’ to begin with. In old Dutch, ‘busen’ meant excessive drinking, which became ‘bouse’ in Old English, and this has now evolved to become ‘booze’. In the 18th century, an Admiral named Vernon ordered that the rum issued to sailors be diluted with water (much to their dismay). The Admiral was nicknamed ‘Old Grog’ because of his customary Grogram Coat. This diluted drink, thus, came to be known as Grog, and that’s how someone who has had too much to drink is said to be ‘groggy’.
And now to ‘bottoms up’. Contrary to what one may believe, this traditional cheer when one quaffs off the last of their drink has nothing to do with one’s bottom, or getting off a seat to have the drink. It has to do with the ‘press gangs’, the detachment of soldiers sent to round up able-bodied men to be ‘pressed’ into service, usually against their will. These gangs used to frequent pubs in the days of yore and drop a shilling into the drink of a prospective recruit.
Once he reached the end of his drink, he was said to have accepted the (king’s) money, and consequently forced to join the Army or the Navy. Wary customers of the time therefore stayed away from pubs till some pub owners hit upon the novel idea of having glassbottomed tankards through which the shilling could be seen when it was raised. One could therefore see the coin when the glass was raised ‘bottoms up’, and the game was up for the gangs.