Meanings
- idiomaticuncountableThe courage or bravado induced by alcohol.
I was beginning to wish I'd had the sense to spend the last hour in a pub. Dutch courage would have been better than no courage at all.
2010, Minette Walters, The Shape of Snakes, Pan Macmillan, →ISBNSynonyms: liquid courage, pot-valiancy
- idiomaticuncountableAn alcoholic drink, taken to bolster one's courage.
Another five minutes wait and we finally raise glasses in a toast to the evening. ‘So, what's the plan?’ ‘Well, we can go straight to the casino after this or we can get half a skinful of Dutch courage.’
2015, R.A. Barnes, Peril: A Ger Mayes Crime Novel, Marble City Publishing, →ISBN
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe courage or bravado induced by alcohol.
Origin
This dates back to a time of intense political rivalry between England and the Netherlands, and was originally an ethnic slur.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch jenevermoed, dronkenmansmoed
- jenevermoedcourage induced by alcohol
- dronkenmansmoedcourage induced by alcohol
Finnish humalaisen rohkeus, rohkaisuryyppy
- humalaisen rohkeuscourage induced by alcohol
- rohkaisuryyppyalcoholic drink
Scottish Gaelic misneachd òil
- misneachd òilcourage induced by alcohol
Cite this entry
Dutch courage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dutch%20courage
“Dutch courage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dutch%20courage. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Dutch courage,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dutch%20courage.
Source: Dutch courage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.