English Reference
Idiom idiom

12-ounce curls


The activity of drinking beer.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

He spends his Friday nights doing 12-ounce curls at the local pub.

You look like you need to do some 12-ounce curls after that stressful meeting.

Do you want to join us for some 12-ounce curls at the backyard barbecue?

CONTEXTUAL

After a long week of manual labor, the crew sat on the porch and enjoyed some 12-ounce curls.

My neighbor says he is going to the gym, but I usually see him doing 12-ounce curls in his garage with his friends instead.

We decided to skip the heavy lifting at the fitness center and do some 12-ounce curls while watching the football game on television.

COMPLEX

The weary workers gathered at the tavern to engage in a few 12-ounce curls before heading home for the weekend.


The term originates in the United States, formed from the standard twelve-ounce volume of American beer cans and bottles combined with the curl, a weightlifting exercise for the biceps. The idiom suggests that the repetitive motion of lifting a container of alcohol to one's mouth constitutes a form of athletic training.


Related idioms2entries
  1. 01

    curl someone's hair

    To frighten, dismay, or excite someone thoroughly.

  2. 02

    twelve-ounce curls

    Drinking beer.

Last updated August 10, 2026