Lush is a slang term that refers to someone who drinks alcohol excessively or frequently. It can be used as either a noun or adjective. As a noun, a lush is a person who drinks a lot and may have a problem with alcohol. For example, “He’s a total lush who parties every weekend.” As an adjective, lush describes someone or something related to drinking heavily or indulging excessively. For example, “She went on a lush vacation in wine country.”
The exact origins of the slang term lush are unclear, but it emerged in the early 20th century. Some theories suggest it originated in England, where “lush” meant “drunk” in the late 1800s. The word likely derived from an older slang term “lushy” meaning “liquorish” or “addicted to drink.” Lush became popular American slang during the 1920s and 1930s.
What does lush mean in slang?
When used in slang, lush has several related meanings:
– A drunken person or heavy drinker
– Intoxicated or drunk
– Given to excessive indulgence in alcohol or luxury
– Extremely pleasing or attractive
So calling someone a lush implies they drink excessively and may have an alcohol problem. It also suggests they indulge in luxuries and pleasures to excess. The word evokes images of partying, hedonism, and self-indulgence. However, lush can also just mean someone or something is extremely enjoyable, rich, or lavish in a positive way.
Lush as a noun
As a noun, lush refers to:
– A person who habitually drinks alcohol heavily or to excess. For example: “He’s known as the town lush.”
– A drunken person or drunk. For example: “The bar was filled with lushes by midnight.”
– An alcohol addict or person with habitual drinking problems. For example: “He needs help but refuses to admit he’s a lush.”
Lush as an adjective
As an adjective, lush describes something:
– Very pleasing, attractive, rich, or luxurious. For example: “The hotel had lush accommodations.”
– Given to excessive drinking or indulgence. For example: “His lush lifestyle is enabled by his trust fund.”
– Drunk or intoxicated. For example: “She got lush at the office party.”
So the adjective refers to both the appeal of excess and the state of actual inebriation.
Where did the slang term lush originate?
The origins of lush as slang for a drunken person are not entirely clear, but most etymologists trace its emergence to the early 20th century. Here are some theories on where the term came from:
– It derived from the older British slang “lushy” meaning inclined toward drink or addicted to liquor. Lushy emerged in the 1800s from the word lush that had meant “juicy” or “succulent” since the 1500s.
– It comes from an old English dialect word “lush” used in Lancashire and Yorkshire to mean “a heavy drinker.” This regional lush evolved from the standard word meaning luxuriant.
– It developed from the phrase “lush-bucket” used in England in the 1800s to mean drunkard. A lush-bucket referred to someone who drank a lot and became a bucket for liquor.
– It originated as American college slang in the 1910s from the concept of getting lush or luxuriating in liquor. Lush implied self-indulgence and excess.
Whatever its exact origin, lush had become established slang for a drunkard or alcohol addict on both sides of the Atlantic by the early 1900s.
What are some synonyms for lush?
Lush has many synonyms that convey similar meanings referring to drunks, alcoholics, and the appealing nature of indulgence and excess. Some common synonyms for lush include:
– Drunkard
– Alcoholic
– Boozer
– Soak
– Wino
– Inebriate
– Tippler
– Lushington
– Guzzler
– Tosspot
– Rummy
– Sot
Related adjectives include drunken, sloshed, tiddly, pissed, blotto, soaked, and pie-eyed.
Lush also has synonyms focused on the idea of extreme pleasure and richness:
– Luxurious
– Lavish
– Opulent
– Extravagant
– Palatial
– Indulgent
– Hedonistic
– Decadent
– Sybaritic
How is lush used in a sentence?
Here are some examples of how lush can be used in a sentence as a noun or adjective:
– Noun: “The bar was filled with lushes who got there right when it opened at 5pm.”
– Noun: “He’s been called the town lush ever since he lost his job due to drinking.”
– Adjective: “Their lush garden was filled with juicy peaches and plump grapes.”
– Adjective: “We indulged in the lush buffet of lobster, steak, and decadent desserts.”
– Adjective: “After getting lush at the open bar, his speech was slurred.”
– Adjective: “The luxury hotel had the most lush beds, spa, and amenities.”
– Adjective: “She described her lush sensory experience at the aromatic spa.”
– Adjective: “We knew the partying had gone overboard when people were passed out lush on the lawn.”
What are related words to lush?
Some words related to lush in meaning or usage include:
– Drunk, intoxicated, inebriated
– Alcoholic, drunkard, wino
– Drink, alcohol, spirits, liquor
– Booze, hooch, juice (slang for alcohol)
– Party, revel, debauch
– Bar, pub, saloon
– Happy hour, open bar, kegger
– Rehab, recovery, AA (Alcoholics Anonymous)
– Luxurious, lavish, opulent
– Indulgent, hedonistic, decadent
– Extravagant, rich, lushly
– Pleasure, enjoyment, satisfaction
Lush partying and drinking
Lush luxury and indulgence
What are some examples of lush in pop culture?
The slang term lush has made its way into many examples of movies, television, and music that deal with themes of alcohol, partying, and indulgence:
– In the 1934 novel Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the main character Dick Diver is described as looking “as though he had just dismounted from a long succession of lush evenings.”
– Humphrey Bogart’s character in the 1951 movie The African Queen, Charlie Allnut, is called a “lush” by Katharine Hepburn’s character Rose after she sees his fondness for drinking gin.
– In the 1981 Dire Straits song “Industrial Disease,” lush is used in the lyrics “Two men say they’re, Jesus one of them must be wrong, There’s a protest singer, he’s singing a protest song, He says they wanna have a war to keep us on our knees, They wanna have a war to keep their factories, No war! We’re all lush!”
– On the TV show Cheers, barfly character Norm Peterson is affectionately called a “lush” on several occasions by the other characters.
– The 1990s grunge band Lush derived their name from lush being slang for someone drunk or someone very indulgent.
– In the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort’s lavish lifestyle of drugs, alcohol and parties leads his wife to call him a “lush.”
So in pop culture, lush often conveys a fast-living lifestyle filled with vices like drinking, drugs, and wild parties. But it also connects to simply enjoying excess and pleasures.
Conclusion
In summary, lush is a slang term that emerged in the early 1900s to mean a drunk or alcoholic person. It likely derived from an older British term meaning someone addicted to liquor. As an adjective, lush describes something extremely pleasing, rich, luxurious, and indulgent. The connotations relate both to excessive drinking and more broadly to an appeal of hedonism and extravagance. Lush evokes images of debauched bar flys, Gatsby-style cocktail parties, and intoxicated rock stars living a loose, free-spirited lifestyle. Next time you hear lush used in a song, show, or conversation, you can decode the nuances around this colorful slang word.