tap the admiral

verb

To steal some liquor from a cask that is in storage or transit.

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Meanings

verbtap the admiral (third-person singular simple present taps the admiral, present participle tapping the admiral, simple past and past participle tapped the admiral)

present singular third person taps the admiral · participle present tapping the admiral · participle past tapped the admiral · past tapped the admiral

  1. slangnauticalTo steal some liquor from a cask that is in storage or transit.

Origin

John Camden Hotten's Slang Dictionary (1873) mentions a tale of this having been done with the rum cask in which Lord Nelson's body was brought to England.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: tap the admiral on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.