Bouse

/baʊz/ verb

Definition

To drink heavily or to haul and pull something with a rope, especially nautical usage.

Etymology

From Dutch 'buizen' meaning to drink heavily, with nautical meanings developing separately. The nautical sense may derive from different roots related to pulling and tensioning.

Kelly Says

The word has a split personality—it means both 'to get drunk' and 'to haul rope,' which seems odd until you realize sailors doing both activities would have used the same word in different contexts!

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