quaff
/kwɑ:f/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb:
- To drink a beverage, especially an alcoholic one, heartily and in large gulps or in one continuous draft.
- To swallow something, typically a drink, quickly and eagerly.
Noun:
- An act of drinking heartily or in one draft.
- A hearty draft or deep drink of a beverage.
Usage
- Verb: The verb "quaff" is used to describe the action of drinking with enthusiasm, often implying the consumption of the entire contents of a cup or glass in one or a few large swallows. It is typically used with drinks like ale, wine, or beer.
- Noun: The noun form is less common and refers to the instance or the large amount of liquid consumed in such a drink.
Examples
- Verb:
- After the long hike, he quaffed a pint of cold water.
- The revelers quaffed ale from large tankards.
- Noun:
- He took a deep quaff from his goblet. (This usage is somewhat literary or archaic.)
Advanced Usage
- "Quaff down/off": To drink something completely and quickly.
- He quaffed down the entire glass in one go.
- The word often carries a connotation of rustic, hearty, or old-fashioned enjoyment, frequently found in historical or fantasy narratives describing feasts or tavern scenes.
Variants and Related Words
- Quaffer (noun): A person who quaffs drinks.
- He was known as a mighty quaffer of ale.
Synonyms
- Gulp: To swallow hastily or greedily.
- Swig: To drink in large gulps.
- Draught (also draft): The act of drinking or the amount swallowed in one drink.
- Imbibe (more formal): To drink, especially alcohol.
Antonyms
- Sip: To drink in small mouthfuls.
- Nurse: To drink slowly, making a drink last.
Related Phrases/Idioms
- To quaff a bumper: To drink a full cup or glass, often in a toast. ("Bumper" is an archaic term for a full cup.)
- They quaffed a bumper to the king's health.
- While not a phrasal verb in the modern sense, the construction "quaff off" is seen in older usage, as in the reference example: .
Verb
- to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
- The men gulped down their beers