Meanings
- AustraliaUKslangDrinking alcohol to excess.
1998, Harry Bowling, When the Pedlar Called, 2010, Headline Publishing, eBook, unnumbered page, Frank an′ ′is ole woman don′t get on, yer see, an′ ′e′s gone on the turps ter drown ′is sorrows.
3 more examples
1992, Di Morrissey, The Last Rose of Summer, 2011, Read How You Want, EasyRead Large Edition, page 201, ‘Been on the turps last night, I′d say,’ whispered Tony to Odette. ‘He′ll start to steady down and focus after three cups of my tea,’ laughed Odette.
You might spot the odd parliamentarian on the turps at the Backbencher, a pub opposite the Beehive where rubbery puppets of NZ pollies are mounted trophy-style on the walls (David Lange is a beauty).
2010, Brett Atkinson, Sarah Bennett, Scott Kennedy, New Zealand′s South Island, Lonely Planet, page 107Out on the water, Jonesy and I also talked about the similarity of the bond we felt with a fellow adventurer after, say, a challenging bushwalk, and the camaraderie of a huge night on the turps with your mates.
2009, James Castrission, Crossing the Ditch, HarperCollins, unnumbered pageSynonyms: on the grog, on the piss, on the sauce
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseDrinking alcohol to excess.
Origin
From on (“regularly taking”) + the + slang turps (“any alcoholic drink”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
on the turps. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20turps
“on the turps.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20turps. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on the turps,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20turps.
Source: on the turps on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.