bumper

[Joel S. Berson]

OED has bumper n.1, sense 1.a., "A cup or glass of wine, etc., filled
to the brim, esp. when drunk as a toast," first cite 1676.  Of course
that doesn't mean Wilson -- or I -- have necessarily come across it;
but somehow I knew this.

Joel

At 7/6/2008 05:34 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
>"... we though[t] of their delicate healths in a _bumper_ [of their
>gift of wine, I assume] ..."
>
>When I was in high school, one of the Jesuits habitually referred to
>drinking beer as
>
>"... having a few _bumpers_ of the amber goodness ..."
>
>This is the only other time that I've come across "bumper" used in
>connection with an alcoholic beverage.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org