keeps wassail
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Hamlet, i, 4. Formerly a salutation used specially at the New Year over the spiced ale cup, hence called the "wassail bowl" (A.S. Wees fuel, be whole, be well).
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 “keeps wassail” mean?
Hamlet, i, 4. Formerly a salutation used specially at the New Year over the spiced ale cup, hence called the "wassail bowl" (A.S. Wees fuel, be whole, be well).
Is “keeps wassail” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.