drinking horns
Preserved but no longer current.
In the East drinking cups made of rhinoceros horn used to be specially valued, as they were supposed to sweat if they contained any poison. In the North those made of narwhal tusk were considered the best, for they were held to counteract any poisonous effects.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “drinking horns” mean?
In the East drinking cups made of rhinoceros horn used to be specially valued, as they were supposed to sweat if they contained any poison. In the North those made of narwhal tusk were considered the best, for they were held to counteract any poisonous effects.
Is “drinking horns” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.