Dictionary

ball of malt en · NOUN

Etymology

From ball (“glass”) + malt (“whiskey”).

Meanings

1. (Ireland, idiomatic) A glass of whiskey.
   • Myles na gCopaleen, in one of those Cruiskeen Lawn columns that Eamon Morrissey so brilliantl­y adapted for the stage, conjures up a vivid picture of a man suffering the full effects of the night before, entering the pub, ordering in a croaky voice a ball of malt, and then, with shaky hand, firing up a Woodbine. He pours the merest smidgen of water into the whiskey and takes a gigantic gulp that shakes him to his foundations. 2015, Paul Drury, Flann O'Brien would find much to mock in this deluded effort to tackle our drinking:

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