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cuddlemebuff

a strong drink

TRANSLATION

cuddlemebuff = alkoholisches Getränk

STATISTICS

IN THE PRESS

“Of the hundreds of synonyms for alcohol, CUDDLEMEBUFF must be one of the most charming.”

The Annals of Tisha Plum


“Oceans to drink being called for,
Hot CUDDLE-ME-BUFF was the liquor.”

Derbyshire Ballad

Did you
know?

cuddlemebuff
colloquial noun

- intoxicating drink
- an old term for beer

The English Dialect Dictionary


ORIGIN

18th century Derbyshire-Yorkshire dialect


TALKING POINT

For many people the idea of a beer flood might sound rather attractive, but in 1814 for inhabitants in the poor part of London known as the St Giles Rookery* it was a disaster.

At Meux & Co.’s Horse Shoe Brewery, a 6.7 metre wooden vat of fermenting port suddenly burst open, dramatically releasing a million litres of alcohol and destroying both the building itself and many of the dwellings at the rookery.


Before London built proper sanitation, beer and ale were considered far safer to drink than water. Even children would drink watered-down alcohol, known as ‘small beer’.

Adapted from “Word Perfect” by Susie Dent

* rookery = Elendsviertel, überfülltes Mietshaus; Krähenkolonie


SYNONYMS for beer

ale, amber brew, brewski, barley pop, brew, brown bottle, hops, hop juice, lager, malt, malt liquor, stout, suds, wallops


Practice OWAD in an English conversation, say something like:

“I would much prefer to use the old term CUDDLEMEBUFF, rather than boring 'beer', although after a few pints pronunciation might pose a bit of a problem.”


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