elbow-bender

[ el-boh-ben-der ]

noun

, Slang.

1. a person who drinks alcoholic beverages to excess; a heavy drinker.

Other Words From

• el·bow-bend·ing noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of elbow-bender¹

First recorded in 1910–15; elbow ( def ) + bender ( def ), from the image of a person bending the elbow to pick up an alcoholic drink, usually in a bar

Example Sentences

From Kerrigan's Kozy Korner to the Stork Club, barrooms have suffered from an influx of "kids and marginal drinkers," which one Manhattan elbow-bender has scornfully dubbed "The Television Set."

From Time Magazine Archive