to crack a bottle
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
In this phrase the word means to open and drink: — They went to a tavern and there they dined, And bottles cracked most merrihe.
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 “to crack a bottle” mean?
In this phrase the word means to open and drink: — They went to a tavern and there they dined, And bottles cracked most merrihe.
Is “to crack a bottle” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.