Dictionary

common sewer en · NOUN

Pronunciation

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Etymology

A punning allusion to shared drains for sewage. Compare drain (“a drink”).

Meanings

1. (UK, archaic, slang) A communal session of drinking alcohol.
   • When men go into a 'sluicery' for a 'sensation,' a 'drain,' or a 'common sewer,' they call the glass of gin they seek, in allusion to the juniper, a 'nipper,' or, more briefly, a 'nip,' occasionally a 'bite,' and not unfrequently it turns out a 'flogger.' 1869, Meliora, volume 12, page 47:

Forms