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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

six o'clock swill en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Meanings

  1. (Australia, New-Zealand, historical, uncountable) The last-minute rush to buy alcohol at a bar before it closed at 6pm.
    • The six o'clock swill was the male ritual of consuming as many beers as possible in the hour before hotels and pubs closed at six o'clock. Early closing was introduced during World War One, when wartime patriotism and austerity and a general temperance mood impelled its introduction. 2007, D. Kirkby, T. Luckins, Dining On Turtles: Food Feasts and Drinking in History, Springer, →ISBN, page 93:
    • Licensing laws in Australia were finally relaxed in 1967, bringing an end to the infamous six o'clock swill and encouraging people to eat out. 2003, Nicholas Faith, chapter 7, in Australia's Liquid Gold, Hachette UK, →ISBN: