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Glite Dictionary
to prop up the bar

to prop up the bar

8.8
To spend time at a bar drinking and talking with friends
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : pasar el rato en el bar
  • He loves to prop up the bar with his mates every Friday night.

Examples

  • She was always ready to prop up the bar and share a laugh after work.

  • Don't prop up the bar too late tonight!

  • After a long day, they decided to prop up the bar until closing time.

  • They often prop up the bar after work.

  • After a long day, they decided to prop up the bar until closing time.

  • He loves to prop up the bar with his mates every Friday night.

  • She was always ready to prop up the bar and share a laugh after work.

Synonyms

to hit the bar
vsto prop up the bar
  • Informal
2 7.0

Go to a bar to have a drink and talk with friends

spend a long time drinking or socializing at a drinking place

Antonyms

to leave
∞ 1.0

To go away from a place, person, or group

to avoid
∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

How Long

to prop up the bar
  • Informal
8.8
to drink
∞ 2.8
to pop in
  • Informal
25 3.4

Surface Forms

prop up the bar infinitive
propping up the bar present participle
props up the bar third person singular
propped up the bar past
propped up the bar past participle

Morphology

prop + up + the + bar

The verb phrase 'prop up' literally means to support or lean against something and 'bar' is a place where drinks are served, so a learner might infer a concrete image of people leaning on the bar and therefore spending time there. However, the idiomatic extension to 'spending time socializing or drinking at a bar' is a pragmatic/metaphorical shift that is not fully predictable from the parts and typically requires exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Prop up the bar: one popular story says this comes from the picture of people standing and leaning to prop themselves against the wooden bar as they drink and talk for a long time. So, prop up the bar now means 'to spend time drinking and socializing at a bar'.