Link Centre Dictionary

cocktail

cock·tail

UK/ˈkɒk.teɪl/ US/ˈkɑk.teɪl/ fairly common slang uk

noun

1.
2.

an appetizer served as a first course at a meal

Origin

Early 17th century, from cock (“male bird”) + tail, in the sense “(a horse with its) tail standing up, like a cock’s”. The origin of the extension to “an alcoholic mixed drink” is unknown. One theory is that it refers to a stimulant (gingering), hence a stimulating drink; compare pick-me-up. Another attested use is for non-thoroughbred racehorses: these were considered "cock-tailed" due to their docked tails. This may have led to the term "cocktail" (sense 1) being used for an adulterated spirit.

Phrases

  • AIDS cocktail
  • atom cocktail
  • atomic cocktail
  • Brompton cocktail
  • champagne cocktail
  • cocktail ant
  • cocktail bar
  • cocktail cabinet

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.