name one's poison
To indicate what type of alcoholic beverage one wishes to be served.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The bartender asked me to name my poison.”
“I have every bottle ready, so please name your poison.”
“The pub is quiet tonight, so name your poison and I will pour it.”
“After a long week at the office, my friend told me to name my poison so he could buy the first round.”
“When we finally reached the hotel lounge, the waiter handed us the drink menu and told us to name our poison.”
“She opened the cabinet full of expensive whiskey and gin, asking her brother to name his poison for the evening.”
“Since you are celebrating your new job, I will pay for the drinks at the club tonight, so go ahead and name your poison.”
“The host gestured toward the well-stocked bar and invited his guests to name their poison before the dinner party officially commenced.”
From the US prohibition era, when the government required that the base ingredients for many products have poisons added to them to make it harder for them to be distilled into alcohol. As a result, much of the prohibition alcohol was actually poison when not distilled completely or properly.
- 01
abound in one's own sense
To follow one’s own inclinations and opinions.
- 02
ace up one's sleeve
A surprise advantage of which others are not aware.
- 03
act one's age
To behave in a manner appropriate to one's age.
- 04
act one's age, not one's shoe size
Synonym of act one's age (“to behave in a mature manner; to avoid being childish”).
- 05
afraid of one's own shadow
Exceptionally timid.
- 06
air one's dirty laundry in public
To reveal one's sordid secrets to the public.
- 07
air one's dirty linen in public
Synonym of air one's dirty laundry in public.
- 08
albatross around one's neck
A characteristic, possession, associate, or previous deed that hinders one's ability to succeed.
Last updated August 10, 2026