wet (one's) whistle

wet (one's) whistle

To have something to drink. I'm parched. I'm going to need to wet my whistle before we go on. If you're looking for Barney, he's down at the pub wetting his whistle.
See also: wet, whistle
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

wet one's whistle

Rur. to take a drink. He stopped at the bar to wet his whistle. I don't need a big glass of water. Just enough to wet my whistle.
See also: wet, whistle
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

wet one's whistle

Have a drink, as in I'm just going to wet my whistle before I go out on the tennis court. This expression uses whistle in the sense of "mouth" and may allude to the fact that it is very hard to whistle with dry lips. [Late 1300s]
See also: wet, whistle
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

wet your whistle

OLD-FASHIONED, INFORMAL
If you wet your whistle, you have a drink, especially an alcoholic drink. There's a mouth-watering menu and an excellent selection of beers to wet your whistle. Note: `Whistle' is an old slang word for mouth or throat.
See also: wet, whistle
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

wet your whistle

have a drink. informal
See also: wet, whistle
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

wet your ˈwhistle

(old-fashioned, informal) have an alcoholic drink
See also: wet, whistle
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

wet (one's) whistle

Informal
To take a drink.
See also: wet, whistle
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • be out of (one's) head
  • address (one's) comments to (someone or something)
  • address comments or remarks to
  • address (one's) remarks to (someone or something)
  • be in it for
  • away from it all
  • be at a disadvantage
  • at a disadvantage
  • be strong on (something)
  • be pressed for time