A Glossary Of Drinking Terms – D

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I was astonished to see that it is over six months since I posted the last part of my glossary on brewery and pub terms and words. Here I go again with Letter D. DANCING -Many pubs allow dancing to live or recorded music, and in some cases, seating will be rearranged to make room for dancers, but not being night-clubs, space for dancing can be more restricted. Sometimes, drinkers will dance around the bar, in aisles between tables and even on chairs, tables or bar surfaces though most bars do not approve of this. Clubs tend to be more geared up to dancing, and they have set ballroom flooring for dancers to use, and people will go there as much for dancing as for the beer, which can be more expensive to cover the costs of the dance time, music, lighting, lots of people drinking less, etc. DANCE LICENSE – Some licensing councils insist pubs and clubs pay extra licensing duty if their bars are to be used for dancing. A bar without a dance license may be restrictive to anyone even just starting to dance around spontaneously. DARTS – A popular pub game that has become an international sport and requires great skill at competitive levels. The game involves throwing a sharp dart, a miniature arrow, at a board with numbered target points and aiming to hit specific scores. There are strict rules concerning space to be stood from the board, flights to be used on arrows, etc. Darts can take up room, and busy pubs often don’t allow it, but the game remains popular, and more so since it was used in a popular darts and quiz questions game show in the UK called Bullseye. The game probably originates from archery. The target board originates from the ring patterns in logs and fallen trees which soldiers would have used for target practice with arrows, stones, bullets and later, darts. DATE RAPE DRUGS – Sometimes known as a Mickey Finn, these are a very nasty way of getting someone drunk, drugged or even unconscious without them being aware of it, in order to sexually molest them, or even commit outright rape. A girl (or more rarely a boy) may think they are only drinking lager, but their unscrupulous friend has secretly laced it with alcoholic spirits, or more commonly, amphetamine drugs. The lady feels less inhibited, or even slumps into unconsciousness and her ‘friend’ does as he wishes with her, possibly even pretending to be kind enough to escort her home, only to then attack her more in privacy. She may then later have difficulty convincing the authorities that she was drugged, assaulted or raped because her free will and recall of events will have been seriously and adversely affected by the drugs. Only a total cad uses uch drug to gain sexual favour. Drinkers hold Mickey users in contempt, and the law against such practices are now much more tightly controlled. DEAD MAN'S BEER TRIBUTES – when a pub regular dies, family and friends often commemorate his or her passing with a visit to the bars) he frequented. A glass of his favourite beer may be bought and poured but instead of being drunk, it will be placed by his photo or at his usual seat/place in the bar, as ‘his drink.’ It helps give a sense that the deceased is part of the celebration. The drink will only be disposed of by bar staff after the funeral and wake guests have gone home. DELERIUM TREMENS - D.T.’S - A phase many severe alcoholics go through in drying out after a heavy period of alcoholism and drink dependency. After several days without a drink the dependent body can go into spasms, and shivers and shakes. The mind can simultaneously start receiving often nightmarish audio and visual hallucinations. The expression ‘seeing pink elephants’ is a joking way to refer to the DT state, but for those experiencing DT’s they are no laughing matter. DIMPLED GLASS – Beer glasses that are round and dimpled for extra grip as many drinkers disregard a glass’s handle and simply clutch the body of the glass itself. Such glasses are rarer to find now for two reasons. 1/. Tall glasses are easier to store, and wash up, collect by bar staff. 2/. In a fight where glasses are thrown or used to smash into people’s faces and torsos, dimpled glasses embed themselves in flesh in a very nasty fashion. DISTILLATION – Process in which ingredients used in creating an alcoholic beverage are separated from liquids, for example, the hops that have been boiled are separated from the water for further handling. Beer is fermented rather than distilled, while spirits are distilled. DISTILLARY – Anywhere alcohol Distillation takes place though most commonly a reference to Scottish whisky distilleries. Distilleries usually applies to spirits production while breweries refers to beer production. DJ – Disc Jockey – Someone hired to play music as live entertainment, with music coming from vinyl, cassettes, CD’s and more frequently of late MP3 devises. A DJ will usually play requests and may or may not banter with the audiences or act as a compeer for other entertainments a pub provides. Some pubs have a paid regular in-house DJ, while others may hire DJ’s occasionally for social functions such as weddings, etc. Juke boxes are seen by some pubs as an electric DJ rendering the need to hire a DJ obsolete. DOG FRIENDLY PUBS - Some pubs let drinkers bring well behaved dogs to the pub, and dogs can appreciate other drinkers stroking them, offering affection, and in some cases bits of food. A few dogs even get some alcohol. Other pubs dislike dogs in a bar, seeing them as unhygienic, especially if food is served. Sometimes there can be conflict too if dog is aggressive to customers or other dogs. Some pubs ban all but guide dogs. Pubs that welcome dog owners will often put signs up on doors and windows saying so. It is always best to ask before simply taking a dog into a bar. A few pubs allow other animals in. I have seen a parrot in one and a snake in another. DOWN IN ONE – A silly get drunk quick move in which a large or strong drink is swallowed in one gulp, possibly even more than one drink. This is irresponsible drinking that can make a drinker ill, or aggressive, but it is common to see drinkers do it on birthdays or at stag parties. DOWN THE HATCH – A slang expression for drinking and quaffing ale deep, but it has its roots in beer being delivered to a pub through a hatch and dropped directly to the storage cellars by the drayers. The phrase ‘Down the hatch’ is a popular drinking toast. DRAUGHT / DRAFT Any beer drawn from or served directly from the barrel, as opposed to one poured from a tin or bottle. Real or keg beer can be draught ale if it is stored in a barrel. DRAUGHTSMAN – A bar-worker who looks after the barrels and draws beer from the barrel. Also a brewery worker filling and maintaining barrel contents. DRAUGHT IN A BOTTLE / CAN – Beer stored directly from brewing into cans or bottles but designed to imitate the taste of genuine barrel-stored draught ales. This has largely been done through use of can-Widgets though some breweries now believe the Widget can be dispensed with. DRAY A truck, cart, trolley or waggon used for transporting beer between breweries and pubs DRAY HORSES – Large horses, similar to shire horses, bred and trained to pull heavily laden dray carts. Some breweries still use them in addition to motorized lorries. DRAY WORKER – A brewery employee who handles beer barrels, in loading, shipping and unloading. The term also applies to bar staff at public houses who deal with the barrels in the pub cellars, often assisted by brewery dray people. The heavy weights involved mean most dray workers have been male. The work can be dangerous as beer barrels are extremely heavy (especially when full) so if loads shift or barrels roll and bounce in transit or in being dropped badly down a pub hatch or chute, injuries and death can occur. DRAYS - Doing The Drays can be a pub job performed early in the day by staff, sometimes even at dawn) so that stock movement, and having dangerously open deep hatches can be done before the bar opens to the public, and beer that has been moved from brewery to the pub has time to settle and cool to room and cellar temperatures before being prepared for sale and consumption. DRESS CODE – While most pubs let customers wear whatever they wish (short of nudity or extremist political slogans), some pubs set dress codes that can exclude some customers from entering a bar or being served. Dress restrictions can vary, but common bans can include; 1/. no football or sports team wear. This can make sense on match days as fans supporting rival teams can get aggressive towards one another. 2/. No hats or baseball caps – publicans like faces to be easily seen, and many pubs install CCTV to keep an eye on customers. 3/. No Hoodies – Hoods can be used to hide faces and the outfit has association with youth crime. 4/. No Work wear. – Some pubs dislike customers wearing oily, sweaty clothes straight from work. 5/. No trainers – Some pubs dislike casual footwear, preferring customers in shoes or boots. 6/. No jeans, tracksuits, onesies, or nightwear. – General unkempt, over-casual or scruffy attire can get customers stopped from entering a pub. DRINKS AWARENESS / DRINK RESPONSIBLY CAMPAIGNS – Media campaigns aimed at reminding everyone that heavy alcohol consumption can be bad for our health. The campaigns encourage occasional, but not excessive drinking and warn of the dangers of alcoholism, drink driving, liver damage, and generally losing control due to alcohol. DRINK-DRIVING – A major problem in that many people will still risk driving cars or commercial vehicles after some alcohol. Though the law allows some alcohol to be consumed before operating vehicles or machinery, many people can unwittingly go over the limit, and a few drivers blatantly disregard the laws and take their chances anyway. Getting caught having taken alcohol before driving, (often through breathalyser testing) can lead to high fines, a long (sometimes permanent) ban on driving at all, and in many cases, imprisonment. This applies especially if the vehicle is involved in a life endangering accident, even if alcohol 9or event he person doing the drink driving) was not the cause of the accident (as in a pedestrian running in front of a car hat just happens to have been driven by someone over the limit. DRINKER – Anyone partaking of alcoholic substances. DRINKING GAMES – Forfeit games such as quizzes where wrong moves, losing cards etc. mean having to take a strong drink quickly. Some bars like such games as it means lots of drinks are sold quickly but players can get very drunk and even quite ill playing, especially the losers. DRINKING HORNS- Before the tankard and glass, going back to Ancient Greek, Celtic, Saxon and Viking times at least, alcohol was often consumed from a drinking horn, usually a deer antler hollowed down to be used as a drinking vessel. The drinker would usually have to carry the horn around as it could not easily be put down or balanced against anything without spillage. Drinking horns are still popular with history re-enactors, role-players and beer festival goers. At pagan festivals and weddings communally shared wines and meads may be passed around a group of drinkers in a large beer horn. Ceramic, steel and fake drinking horns can also be found (both modern and ancient). Glass drinking vessels remain more popular though. DRINKING STRAWS The long straw can save a drinker picking up a glass or bottle by hand though it is mostly used for drinking spirits and especially cocktails from glasses heavily filled with sliced fruit, ice cubes and toys such as umbrellas. The straw then makes getting to the actual drink easier or even possible at all. DRINKING UP TIME- A period of time between bar service ending and drinkers having to leave a closing bar. The call of last orders is a signal that drinkers have to get their last drinks in before service ends, but for drinkers who already have drinks on the table and in hand, some period of time, usually about 20 to 30 minutes is required to allow people to finish what they have already bought, use the toilets, say goodbye to friends and arrange transport home for themselves. This is the drinking up time period. DRUNK – Being in a state of having drunk and consumed a lot of alcohol. Being drunk affects speech, thought patterns, levels of aggression and fatigue and even physical balance. Some drunks may just feel a little sleepy, while others may want to fight someone, vomit, lose bladder control, etc. DRUNK AND DISORDERLY – Being drunk is itself not in any way a criminal offence, but getting so drunk that you create a problem to others, as in wanting to fight, actually fighting, falling down in the street, struggling to get into taxis or other vehicles, loud singing in public, and generally becoming a nuisance, becomes a crime, that of being drunk and disorderly. Some people can of course be disorderly without any need for alcohol to provoke them. DRY - having brewed away much sugar and other ingredients, but retaining an alcoholic level. DUTY Government taxation taken from the sale of licensed alcoholic products, often the Duty adds hugely to the cost of bottles of wines and spirits. Drinkers listen in dread to every Government Chancellor’s budget for news of how much extra duty may be levied on their favourite tipples. Some breweries and pubs have been driven out of business by crippling duty hikes over the years. DUTY FREE- Alcohol, (as well as cigarettes, cosmetics, some chocolates and other goods) can be sold without duty tax as long as it is for consumption out of the country where it was bought. Airports and ports sometimes have duty free shops for international passengers to use. The UK allows incoming tourists and migrants to bring in a restricted amount of duty free produce from abroad, with heavy fines for bringing too much or wilfully smuggling non-Duty free items in. Many people make short hop trips abroad just to purchase duty free to bring home, both legally and illegally. Passengers not bringing home any duty free for themselves are often asked to bring duty free through customs inspections for those who do want them, and then given back to the rightful owner on the other side of security checks. DOUBLE MALT – A misnomer name for blended whisky as there is really no such thing as a double malt. Whisky is brewed as a single malt – that is to say that it is produced by a single distillery, though it could still go through blending from multiple barrels. A truly blended malt whisky combines whiskies from more than one brewery to mix them into a different taste and brandable commercial product. A Blended whisky may use two, three or more distillery products but it still usually gets referred to as being a Double malt, but as I say, there is no such thing. DUNKLE – A dark looking German wheat beer. Most wheat beers are light golden in colour. Arthur Chappell