piss and vinegar

noun

Exuberance or enthusiasm, especially to an excessive degree; bravado; youthful energy.

Similar
spit and vinegar
First used mid-20th c.
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounpiss and vinegar (uncountable)
  1. USslanguncountablevulgarExuberance or enthusiasm, especially to an excessive degree; bravado; youthful energy.First known use mid-20th c.

    "I know what's a matter. Young fella, all full a piss an' vinegar. Wanta be a hell of a guy all the time."

    1940, John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, Viking, page 248
    1 more example

    Everyone wants that: the vigor, fire, piss and vinegar. You really believe that you're taking on the world.

    2008 October 2, David Fricke, “Q&A: Metallica's James Hetfield”, in Rolling Stone, retrieved 21 Feb 2009

    Synonyms: spit and vinegar

Synonyms & antonyms

nounExuberance or enthusiasm, especially to an excessive degree; bravado; youthful energy.

Similar
spit and vinegar
Also see
spit and vinegar
Cite this entry
APA

piss and vinegar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/piss%20and%20vinegar

MLA

“piss and vinegar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/piss%20and%20vinegar. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “piss and vinegar,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/piss%20and%20vinegar.

Source: piss and vinegar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.