English Reference
Idiom idiom

drink with the flies


To drink alcohol while alone.

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


SIMPLE

He sits at the bar and drinks with the flies every night.

CONTEXTUAL

After a long and difficult week, he preferred to drink with the flies at a quiet corner pub rather than go to a party.

COMPLEX

The aging writer retreated to the dim tavern, choosing to drink with the flies while he contemplated the silence of his empty apartment.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    as the crow flies

    In a straight line distance between two locations, as opposed to the road distance or over land distance.

  2. 02

    as the gull flies

    In a straight line distance between two locations, as opposed to the road distance or over land distance.

  3. 03

    catch flies

    To have one's mouth wide open for a prolonged period.

  4. 04

    drink from a firehose

    To be overwhelmed (with work, information, etc.); to be inundated with an unrestricted or unfiltered amount.

  5. 05

    drinks o'clock

    The time to begin social drinking.

  6. 06

    drive someone to drink

    To cause someone to drink lots of alcohol, as an escape from frustration.

  7. 07

    drive to drink

    Synonym of drive someone crazy.

  8. 08

    hold one's drink

    Synonym of hold one's liquor.

Last updated August 10, 2026