down the hatch

prepositional phrase

Into the mouth and down the throat, especially with regard to the consumption of a beverage.

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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. informalInto the mouth and down the throat, especially with regard to the consumption of a beverage.

    As waiters brought trays of meat, the guests reached over and harvested the pink slices with their bare hands, popping them down the hatch.

    2008 January 30, Paul Lukas, “Gluttonous Rite Survives Without Silverware”, in New York Times, retrieved 07 Feb 2010
    1 more example

    In Cairo, the New York Herald Tribune's correspondent, John ("Tex") O'Reilly, found U.S. soldiers no less infected with the new English language: "When two Americans are having a drink they no longer shout ‘Down the hatch!’ They raise their glasses and say ‘Cheers’ in modulated tones."

    1943 March 22, “AIR: You've Had It”, in Time, retrieved 07 Feb 2010

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
cheersover the river

Translations

French cul sec
  • cul secinto the mouth and down the throat
Hungarian fenékig
  • fenékiginto the mouth and down the throat
Portuguese goela abaixo
  • goela abaixointo the mouth and down the throat
Cite this entry
APA

down the hatch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down%20the%20hatch

MLA

“down the hatch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down%20the%20hatch. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “down the hatch,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down%20the%20hatch.

Source: down the hatch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.