noun General Slang

Bottle

/ˈbɒt.əl/ · noun · slang

Courage or nerve — "having bottle" means being brave; "losing your bottle" means chickening out.

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Definitions

1

Used to praise nerve or to mock cowardice depending on the phrasing.

“Fair play, that took some bottle.”
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2

"Lose your bottle" or "bottle it" means to lose your nerve and back out at the last moment.

“He bottled it right before the penalty.”
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3

In British slang, "bottle" means courage or guts. To "have bottle" is to be brave enough to do something difficult.

“It takes real bottle to speak up like that.”
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Bottle In A Sentence

She had the bottle to quit and start over.
They bottled it in the final minute.
No bottle, no glory.

Origin & Usage

British slang dating back decades, "bottle" for courage is often linked to the cockney rhyming slang "bottle and glass," evolving into a general term for nerve.

Variants Bottle itLost his bottleNo bottle
Tags #uk#british#cockney

People Also Ask

What does bottle mean in British slang?

Bottle means courage or nerve — "having bottle" is being brave, while "bottling it" means chickening out.

Where did bottle come from?

It's long-standing British slang, often traced to the cockney rhyming slang "bottle and glass."

What does bottle it mean?

To "bottle it" means to lose your nerve and back out of something at the last moment.

How do you use bottle in a sentence?

For example: "that took some bottle" — meaning it took courage.

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