# twelve-ounce curls

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/twelve-ounce-curls
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Drinking beer.

## Examples

- He spends his weekends doing twelve-ounce curls at the local bar.
- After a long week of hard labor, the construction crew relaxed by doing some twelve-ounce curls.
- The weary travelers sought refuge in the tavern, where they spent the evening engaged in twelve-ounce curls to forget their troubles.

## Origin

From the United States, a compound of the twelve-ounce volume common to American beer bottles and cans and curls, the weightlifting exercise. The term draws a comparison between the repetitive motion of bicep training and the lifting of a beverage to the mouth.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.