one for the road
7
6.6
- idiom
- Informal
:
una para el camino
- One for the road and then home.
- take one for the road
- Here's one for the road
- Just one for the road
Examples
-
I'll have one for the road.
-
Let's have one for the road.
-
Come on, baby, one for the road.
-
Well, um, one for the road?
-
Take one for the road!
-
- One for the road, brother?
-
Just one for the road, huh?
-
And actually, I'll have one for the road.
-
Come on, Tim, give us one for the road.
-
Before leaving the party, he decided to have one for the road with his friends.
Synonyms
21
8.0
A final drink with alcohol you have before leaving a social event
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'one' (a single drink) and the prepositional phrase 'for the road' (purpose related to traveling) give a clear hint that this refers to a drink taken in relation to departing, so a learner could plausibly infer a final drink before leaving. However, the phrase is conventionalized to mean specifically an alcoholic 'last drink' and this exact pragmatic use is idiomatic enough that it is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
One for the road may come from the old habit of giving a traveller a small drink at an inn to take with them when they left, so the drink was literally 'for the road'. That's why today it means a 'final drink' before you go.