tippler means A seller of alcoholic liquors; keeper of a tippling-house or tavern. It carries an Arena rating of 1569, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, tippler ranks #1,036 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #1,266 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,970 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #3,190 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
tippler is pronounced /ˈtɪplə/.
Why “tippler” is a great word
A habitual, often cheerful drinker of alcoholic beverages, one who indulges regularly but not necessarily to excess. The word springs from the verb 'tipple' (to drink alcohol habitually or in small quantities) fitted with the agentive suffix '-er'; its sense as a 'seller of alcohol' is attested from 1396, solidifying into the familiar 'habitual drinker' by 1580. Unlike a 'drunkard,' defined by debilitating excess, or a 'teetotaler,' marked by stark abstention, the tippler inhabits the amber-hued middle ground of steady, sociable ritual. He is the figure at the same corner stool each evening, the gentle clink of a glass marking the hour; the savoring of a single, slow pint in the pub's quiet murmur; the modest nightcap poured with practiced ease—a quiet, personal ceremony against the encroaching chill of the world.
Etymology
From tipple + -er (“agent”). “Seller” sense from 1396; “drinker” sense from 1580.
noun
- A seller of alcoholic liquors; keeper of a tippling-house or tavern.e.g.“It is decrede that no tippler shall allow any unlawful games in his howse.” — 1567, regulation, quoted in 1894, William John Monk, History of Witney, page 111
- A habitual drinker; a bibber.e.g.“[…]they had picked up two fellows in that day’s march, one of which, he said, was as fine a man as ever he saw (meaning the tippler),” — 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter XI, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book VII:
- A breed of domestic pigeon bred to participate in endurance competitions.
- An open wagon with a tipping trough, unloaded by being inverted (used for bulk cargo, especially minerals). A minecart, a lorry.e.g.“Ackers was working as a tippler operator. His mate, L. Beveridge, saw that Ackers had tipped a full skip and Beveridge allowed another full skip to gravitate to Acker's tippler.” — 1955, New South Wales. Department of Mines, Report of the Department of Mines, New South Wales, page 44:
- One who works at a tipple.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.