to serve alcohol
7
3.0
- phrasal verb
- /sɜrv ˈæl.kə.hɔl/
:
servir alcohol
- My rule of thumb: if a place serves alcohol, it's for adults.
- clubs that serve alcohol
It's exactly like if spas served alcohol.
- It's exactly like if spas served alcohol.
- So you know how like in some some towns where you can't serve alcohol, you can't sell alcohol on Sundays in Texas.
- It has a bookshop and a corner and hairdressers and a giant tree in the middle that serves alcohol.
Examples
-
I was always annoyed by the adults who complained about being there, asking if we served alcohol.
Blog text (21) -
The plaintiff, a local adult establishment that served alcohol, lost its liquor license as a result of the ordinance.
Academic text (2000) -
If you are serving alcohol, there is a separate form to fill out, plus you must stop serving one hour.
Blog text (13) -
Often, these clubs also served alcohol, so only clients who could show identification of being 21 or older were allowed access.
Academic text (2004) -
I'm not permitted to serve alcohol out of hours.
-
We have not only the restaurants mentioned above that serve alcohol but also the small restaurants throughout the town that serve pizza and sandwiches.
Blog text (6) -
CenturyLink's club and suite levels will also serve alcohol.
Blog text (32) -
The bartender informed him that he was not allowed to serve alcohol to drunken patrons.
Blog text (26) -
As establishments open to a paying public and as places licensed to serve alcohol, the clubs were necessarily organized in terms of set hours of opening and closing.
Academic text (1999) -
The restaurant decided to serve alcohol to enhance its evening menu options.
Synonyms
34
1.4
To give food or drink to people
14
3.4
To serve drinks and work behind a bar
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to provide or sell alcoholic drinks' is directly compositional from 'serve' (to offer or present food or drink) and 'alcohol' (an alcoholic beverage). This verb + noun combination follows a common, literal pattern found across languages and everyday contexts (bars, restaurants), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Serve alcohol comes from the simple picture of a waiter or bartender bringing and handing a drink to a guest: to serve means to bring and give, and alcohol is the drink. So it means 'to provide or sell alcoholic drinks' to customers or guests.