hit the bottle
To drink alcohol steadily and in excess, particularly in response to a setback.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“After losing his job, he started to hit the bottle.”
“When her marriage ended, she hit the bottle for months before seeking help.”
“Grief-stricken and alone in the empty house, the widower began to hit the bottle with grim determination each evening at dusk.”
- 01
bottle away
To store up or stock up.
- 02
bottle up
To keep suppressed and hidden.
- 03
don't let the door hit you on the way out
Used as a command to leave in haste, or to indicate that one is glad, or at least unmoved, to see the addressed person leaving.
- 04
fall out of the ugly tree and hit every branch
To become extremely unattractive.
- 05
hit a lick
To earn a large sum of money in a short amount of time, usually illegally.
- 06
hit a snag
To encounter an unexpected problem or delay.
- 07
hit a wall
To come up against an insurmountable problem.
- 08
hit above one's weight
Alternative form of punch above one's weight.
Last updated August 10, 2026