411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Dutch courage
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Etymology
This dates back to a time of intense political rivalry between England and the Netherlands, and was originally an ethnic slur.
Pronunciation
en en-au-Dutch courage.ogg AU
Noun
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en idiomatic The courage or bravado induced by alcohol.
en liquid courage pot-valiancy
en 2010 Minette Walters The Shape of Snakes Pan Macmillan 9780330528849 I was beginning to wish I'd had the sense to spend the last hour in a pub. Dutch courage would have been better than no courage at all.
en idiomatic An alcoholic drink, taken to bolster one's courage.
en 2015 R.A. Barnes Peril: A Ger Mayes Crime Novel Marble City Publishing 9781908943057 Another five minutes wait and we finally raise glasses in a toast to the evening. ‘So, what's the plan?’ ‘Well, we can go straight to the casino after this or we can get half a skinful of Dutch courage.’
Translations
courage induced by alcohol
Dutch: nl jenevermoed m, nl dronkenmansmoed m
Finnish: fi humalaisen rohkeus
Scottish Gaelic: gd misneachd òil f
alcoholic drink
Finnish: fi rohkaisuryyppy
Further reading
en offensive terms
en Drinking Netherlands