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Everyday Life - Drinking & Smoking

Explore English idioms that relate to smoking and drinking with examples like "lung dart" and "drink like a fish".

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English idioms related to Everyday Life
to [drown] {one's} sorrows

to become drunk just to forget something upsetting or disturbing

Ex: After the breakup, he spent the weekend drowning his sorrows. 
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(as|) drunk as a (skunk|fiddler)

so intoxicated with alcohol that one starts behaving like a lunatic

Ex: He came home drunk as a skunk and tried to sing to the fridge. 
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(as|) drunk as a lord

having consumed an excessive amount of alcohol and hence unable to think or act normally

Ex: He was drunk as a lord and could barely stand. 
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(as|) drunk as a wheelbarrow

incapable of acting or thinking like a normal person would, due to having consumed an excessive amount of alcohol

Ex: He was drunk as a wheelbarrow and couldn't unlock his own door. 
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to [drink] like a fish

to drink too much of alcoholic drinks on a regular basis

Ex: He drinks like a fish, even on weeknights. 
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to [go] to {one's} [head]

(of alcoholic drinks) to make one extremely drunk

Ex: That cheap wine went straight to my head. 
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here is to {sb/sth}

used before drinking in honor of a person or thing

Ex: Here's to Maria, the best host in town. 
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stone sober

someone who is not in any way affected by chemical substances or alcoholic drinks

Ex: He insisted he was stone sober, but nobody believed him. 
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to [get] a load on

to become extremely drunk

Ex: He got a load on at the office party and had to take a taxi home. 
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to [give] {sb} a buzz

to make someone become so drunk that they have no control over their thoughts or actions whatsoever

Ex: That strong rum gave him a buzz after just two shots. 
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to [wet] {one's} whistle

to have a glass of something, particularly an alcoholic drink

Ex: Let's stop at the pub and wet our whistles before the concert. 
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on the rocks
on the rocks
[phrase]

(of drinks, particularly alcoholic beverages) with ice cubes in the glass

Ex: I'll have a whisky on the rocks. 
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(as|) high as a kite

heavily under the influence of alcoholic drinks or drugs

Ex: He came back from the party high as a kite and couldn't stop laughing. 
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to [have] one too many

to drink an excessive amount of alcohol and become extremely drunk

Ex: He had one too many at the wedding and fell asleep in the taxi. 
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on the bottle

used to refer to someone who tends to drink an excessive amount of alcohol

Ex: After the divorce, he was on the bottle for a while. 
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hair of the dog

an alcoholic drink consumed to cure a headache that comes after excessive drinking

Ex: He ordered a Bloody Mary as hair of the dog. 
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coffin nail

used to refer to a cigarette, often to highlight the health risks associated with smoking

Ex: He lit another coffin nail and leaned against the wall. 
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cancer stick

used to refer to a cigarette, often due to the well-known health risks associated with smoking

Ex: He stepped outside to smoke another cancer stick. 
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lung dart
lung dart
[noun]

used for referring to a cigarette, often implying the harmful effects of smoking on one's lungs

Ex: He stepped outside to smoke another lung dart. 
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Dutch courage

the strength or confidence that is obtained from drinking an excessive amount of alcoholic drinks

Ex: He needed some Dutch courage before asking his boss for a raise. 
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on the wagon
on the wagon
[phrase]

used to refer to a period of time in which one avoids drinking alcoholic drinks

Ex: He's been on the wagon for six months now. 
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to [hit] the bottle

to start drinking an excessive amount of alcohol, particularly on regular basis

Ex: After losing his job, he hit the bottle hard. 
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one over the eight

used to refer to an occasion in which one drinks too much alcoholic drinks and becomes drunk

Ex: By midnight, he was one over the eight and could barely stand. 
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to [smoke] like a chimney

to smoke a great number of cigarettes

Ex: My grandfather used to smoke like a chimney before he quit. 
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