Hello Monday,
I hope you're all feeling well after the long weekend. Hopefully you don't have a hangover or feel hungover today. Bank holiday weekends usually indicate one thing. Party time – with a lot of alcohol – in the UK, but my drinking days are behind me. I gave up drinking nearly 4 years ago, so I'd probably feel a little tipsy after 2 beers and probably smashed after 7 if I drank today. I don't miss the next day after drinking, but I do miss the process of getting drunk. Being sober at a party when there are lots of drinking games going on can be a little difficult, but that doesn't stop me from going out every now and then at the weekend.
Here are 6 things you might not know about drinking in the UK
We buy rounds in the UK
We call security in pubs and clubs bouncers
We drink pints (568ml) not half-litres
People almost always stand up in pubs
Pissed in the UK means drunk and not angry like in the US
It's unusual to eat* when drinking
*in Ukraine you have 'beer food'. We don't. A packet of crisp or some peanuts might be bought, but it's not common to eat and drink like it is here.
Lots of things can happen on a night out. I have had many wild nights from a punch up to doing the walk of shame. And, quite a few nights out even resulting in a black out, but not because my drink was spiked, but because of binge drinking on a Saturday night. We have many phrasal verbs in English to describe things that can happen during a night out, so let's have a look at some useful ones.
To be/get kicked out of somewhere – when the bouncers take you out of a club/pub for doing something wrong.
To knock over (something) – when you accidentally spill a large amount of drink.
To be/get turned away from somewhere - when the bouncers don't let you into a club
To kick off about(something)/on (someone) - when you start trouble
To fall out with someone over(person)/about - when you argue and have a disagreement about someone or something
To throw up - to vomit
To chat up someone - to talk to someone in a club you fancy, but don't know... yet
To be/get picked up by the police - to get arrested by the police for doing something wrong, this one is often used for drink driving
To beat someone up/ To be/get beaten up - to attack someone or be attacked badly
To dress up - to wear nice clothes
To fall over - when you lose your balance and hit the ground
Exercise: Phrasal Verb
John _________ KATS because he was shouting at the DJ
The bouncers __________ because we didn't have any ID
James _________ Mike over Ksenia and they nearly had a fight
Mike was smashed! He _______ and broke his finger!
After she took her shot of tequila she ran to the toilet and ______
I was kicked out of KATS because I ______ on the DJ because he was playing the same song.
Simon drove home after the pub and ____________ by the police
Peter__________ my drink and it went all over my white jeans! I had to go home.
He got kicked out of the club for being too drunk. He wasn't happy and kicked off on the bouncers. He tried to punch one of them and then 3 of them _________He's got a broken nose.
Answers: was/got kicked out of / turned us away / fell out with / fell over / threw up / Kicked off / was/got picked up / knocked over / beat him up
Questions:
Have you got a favourite drinking game?
Have you ever blacked out?
How many beers would you need to feel tipsy?
What do you think about the idea of rounds?
Why are there usually punch ups in pubs?
Cheers
www.luke.lv - English native speaker in Lviv
Words
Hangover / Hungover(adj) – the feeling the day after you drink too much
Bank holiday weekend – a longer weekend(Sat/Sun) or 3 days or more off
To be behind me – When something you used to do, is now
Give up - to quit
Tipsy – the feeling you get before you are drunk
Smashed – very drunk
Sober – when you have no alcohol in your body
Drinking games - games that are played when drinking alcohol and involve ways of drinking faster
Go out - to go somewhere in the evening for entertainment
Drinking - the process of drinking alcohol
Drink - alcohol
Rounds - when people take turns to buy all the drinks
Bouncers - security in pubs and clubs
Pints - 567ml also known as an beer/lager
Pissed - another word for drunk
A night out - a night when the plan is to end it in a club
A punch up - a fight
The walk of shame - the walk home in the morning wearing the same clothes from the previous night after you stayed at someone's house who you met the night before
To black out / a black out - when you drink so much you have loss of memory of the latter part of the night
To spike someone's drink - to put something in someone's drink to affect them
To binge - to have a lot of something in a short space of time. Binge drinking / eating / watching of TV series'
Drink driving - driving when you have too much alcohol in your bloodstream