long drink of water

English edit

WOTD – 22 March 2018

Etymology edit

Robert Wadlow (1918–1940) with his father Harold Franklin Wadlow. Standing 2.72 m (8 ft 11.1 in), Robert Wadlow was the tallest person ever in recorded history for whom there is irrefutable evidence.

The term originated in the United States, and was presumably used in vaudeville performances.^[1] It was derived from earlier Scots lang drink.^[2]

Pronunciation edit

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /lɒŋ ˈdɹɪŋk əv ˈwɔːtə/
(General American) IPA^(key): /lɔŋ ˈdɹɪŋk əv ˈwɔtɚ/, [- ˈwɔɾɚ]
Audio (AU) (file)
Hyphenation: long drink of wa‧ter

Noun edit

long drink of water (plural long drinks of water)

(Scotland, US, slang) A tall person. [from 1910s]
- [1887, John Service, chapter XVI, in The Life and Recollections of Doctor Duguid of Kilwinning. Written by Himself, and Now First Printed from the Recovered Manuscript, Edinburgh: Young J. Pentland, →OCLC, page 103:
  Stair had grown up into a great lang drink, and would faukled, as Robin Cummell said, if he fell.]
- 1915 August 1, “Photoplays, Vaudeville and outdoor amusements”, in The Washington Post, page 3, column 1:
  Other acts will include Klein, Abe and Nicholson, “the fat bellboy, the corpulent Scot and ‘the long drink of water,’” in a comedy of melody.
- 1924 May 10, “The Speaker defied”, in The Times, London, page 12:
  Mr. [David] Kirkwood [Independent Labour Party member] addressed his reproof to Lord Winterton [Edward Turnour, 6th Earl Winterton], who, along with his colleagues, had protested against the defiance of the speaker's ruling. "Ye are not treating with Indians, ye big long drink of water," he shouted. Immediately the Speaker reproved the member for Dumbarton.

Usage notes edit

The connotation of the term has varied over time. Early uses appear to be humorous and mildly derogatory in the sense of gangly or lanky. More recent American usage in the 21st century is often positive, suggesting that the person referred to is attractive.^[3]

Alternative forms edit

tall drink of water

References edit

^ Benjamin Zimmer (2005 May 9) “‘(long) drink of water’ (1915)”, in The American Dialect Society Mailing List‎^[1], archived from the original on 21 December 2017.
^ “v., n./headword/full/both/ drink, v., n.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries: “With lang (long): a tall, lanky person. Also a lang drink o' water, […]”: see the 1887 quotation.
^ See, for example, “What Does It Mean to Call Someone a ‘Drink of Water’?”, in English Language & Usage, Stack Exchange‎^[2], 2015 March 26, archived from the original on 3 April 2017; “What’s the Etymology of ‘Tall Drink of Water’?”, in Ask MetaFilter‎^[3], 2006 August 14, archived from the original on 3 June 2017.

[zimmer-1] Benjamin Zimmer (2005 May 9) “‘(long) drink of water’ (1915)”, in The American Dialect Society Mailing List‎^[1], archived from the original on 21 December 2017.

[2] “v., n./headword/full/both/ drink, v., n.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries: “With lang (long): a tall, lanky person. Also a lang drink o' water, […]”: see the 1887 quotation.

[3] See, for example, “What Does It Mean to Call Someone a ‘Drink of Water’?”, in English Language & Usage, Stack Exchange‎^[2], 2015 March 26, archived from the original on 3 April 2017; “What’s the Etymology of ‘Tall Drink of Water’?”, in Ask MetaFilter‎^[3], 2006 August 14, archived from the original on 3 June 2017.

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