bend one's elbow

English

Alternative forms

• bend the elbow

Etymology

Suggesting the motion of an arm raising a glass to drink.

Verb

bend one's elbow (third-person singular simple present bends one's elbow, present participle bending one's elbow, simple past and past participle bent one's elbow)

1. (idiomatic) To drink alcoholic beverages, especially at a public house or bar.
   • 2002, Jacques Stephen Alexis, In the Flicker of an Eyelid, page 32:

     One day is no worse than the next for El Caucho; so it's a whim when he starts bending his elbow or ties one on. When he is really "plastered," El Caucho looks grim, but he isn't really nasty.