social drinkingn.
/ˌsəʊʃl ˈdrɪŋkɪŋ/, U.S. /ˌsoʊʃ(ə)l ˈdrɪŋkɪŋ/ The consumption of alcohol in company, forming part of a social situation or occasion; now esp. drinking in moderation chiefly in order to be sociable.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [noun] > drinking intoxicating liquor > drinking socially
social drinking1808
1808 J. Harriott Struggles through Life (ed. 2) I. xvii. 102 Sir, I bow to the laws of social drinking in obeying your orders; the result must take its chance.
1850 Amer. Whig Rev. Nov. 468/1 We forget, in our judgments of others, that virtue is a scale, and not a limit. From social drinking to sottishness, and from a white lie to malignant perjury, the degrees are numberless.
1901 B. S. Rowntree Poverty 316 This [public] house is evidently one where ‘social’ drinking is carried on.
1936 Science 27 Mar. 308 The marked rise in female admissions in 1918 and 1919 may have been due in part to an increase of social drinking.
1988 L. A. Bennett et al. in C. J. Falicov Family Transitions viii. 229 He [sc. a recovering alcoholic] has attempted social drinking for almost 6 years, and..he feels confident about his ability to use alcohol moderately.
2007 Straits Times (Singapore) (Nexis) 11 Dec. While social drinking is an acceptable norm among teens, excessive consumption will eventually lead to abuse.
Compounds
attributive in the sense ‘of, relating to, or characterized by social drinking; participating in social drinking’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [adjective] > drinking socially
social drinking1860
1860 Star of Hope 1 127 If there had been no social drinking habits at the squire's table, there would have been no excess in the servant's hall.
1969 in H. Halpert & G. M. Story Christmas Mumming in Newfoundland 82 At night throngs of ‘social-drinking’ men threading their way along the narrow footpaths sing between visits.
2001 E. T. Miller et al. in P. M. Monti et al. Adolescents, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse vi. 210 Set your drinking limit before a social drinking occasion.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1808- to get up with the sun
- to get upon
- to get upon one's hind legs
- to get upon one's legs
- to get upon the finger ends
- to get upon the skuff
- to get used to
- to get vent
- to get washed up
- to get water from a flint
- to get weaving
- to get wet
- to get what for
- to get what is coming to one
- to get where the hair is short
- to get while the getting is good
- to get wind of
- to get wise to
- to get wit of
- to get with
- to get with child
- to get with it
- to get with the programme
- to get within
- to get wood