Dutch courage

American  

noun

Sometimes Offensive.

1. courage inspired by drunkenness or drinking liquor.

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Dutch courage British  

noun

1. false courage gained from drinking alcohol

2. alcoholic drink

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Dutch courage Idioms  

1. False courage acquired by drinking liquor, as in He had a quick drink to give him Dutch courage. This idiom alludes to the reputed heavy drinking of the Dutch, and was first referred to in Edmund Waller's Instructions to a Painter (1665): “The Dutch their wine, and all their brandy lose, Disarm'd of that from which their courage grows.”

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Sensitive Note

Dutch courage is foolish courage or misplaced confidence. Because “Dutch” is used to imply that the courage is not genuine, the term is sometimes perceived as insulting to or by the Dutch. See also Dutch.

Etymology

Origin of Dutch courage

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

"As a society, we need to normalise socialising without the Dutch courage and prove to people that you really can have a blast without the booze," says Mr Sargood.

From BBC

No Dutch courage was necessary for these singers, though.

From New York Times

"I don't think I'm very good at it and therefore need some Dutch courage to get me on the floor," one said.

From BBC

It’s said that it was introduced to Britain by soldiers who had drunk it in the Netherlands during the Eighty Years’ War, hence the expression “Dutch courage.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Suddenly the Dutch have got their Dutch courage back.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• drunkenness
• liquid courage