Stiff drink

Posted by Marian on February 08, 2002

In Reply to: Stiff drink posted by psi on February 08, 2002

: Why "stiff" drink?

: psi

I've always thought it was this: put enough alcohol in a drink, and even a veteran drinker may conceivably jerk his/her head back from the glass--almost recoil--after the first taste. Conceivably the drinker's torso appears to stiffen up, although I think that this body language is sometimes affected playfully between friends as a gesture of appreciation for a well-prepared concoction.

• OED on "stiff" R. Berg 02/08/02