what's your poison

English

WOTD – 13 May 2024

Etymology

From poison (“(informal) intoxicating drink; liquor”), from the fact that such beverages are toxic to the human body.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌwɒts jə ˈpɔɪz(ə)n/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌ(h)wʌts jəɹ ˈpɔɪz(ə)n/, /ˌ(h)wɑts-/

• Audio (GA):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɪzən
• Hyphenation: what’s your poi‧son

Phrase

what’s your poison

1. (idiomatic, humorous, informal, dated) Used to ask someone what alcoholic beverage they would like to drink: what drink would you like to have?

   Synonyms: what's yours, what's your pleasure

   • 1998 October 29, Black Isle Studios, Fallout 2, v1.02d, spoken by Bartender, Interplay Productions, Windows, level/area: Desperado:

     What's yer poison, darlin'?

Alternative forms

• choose your poison, name your poison, pick your poison

Translations

used to ask someone what alcoholic beverage they would like to drink

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 你想喝什麼酒／你想喝什么酒 (nǐ xiǎng hē shénme jiǔ?)

• Finnish: mitä haluat juoda
• Galician: que queres beber? (literally “what do you want to drink?”)
• Hungarian: mit adhatok? (literally “what can I give you?”), mit iszik? (literally “what will you drink?”) (formal), mit iszol? (informal)
• Macedonian: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• “what’s your poison?, idiom”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.