Systembolaget & Drinking Expressions

to have one too many

Tip: lit. 'take one glass too many' — the polite way to say someone overdid it.

to be tipsy

Tip: lit. 'be on the lyre' — pleasantly buzzed, slightly old-fashioned and affectionate.

to be blind drunk

Tip: lit. 'drunk as a jackdaw' — completely gone.

to sober up

Tip: lit. 'sober to' — the process of coming back down.

hair of the dog

Tip: lit. 'a restorer' — a morning-after drink.

to be hungover

Tip: lit. clipped from 'bakfull' — the everyday word for hungover.

to drink like a fish

Tip: lit. 'drink like a sponge'.

to go on a bender

Tip: lit. 'pull on a proper drunk' — a heavy night out.

to be teetotal

Tip: lit. 'be a total abstainer' — a real identity word in Sweden.

to hold your drink

Tip: lit. 'tolerate spirits'.

to be the designated driver

Tip: lit. 'be the one who drives home' — Sweden has near-zero tolerance.

let's raise a glass to…

Tip: lit. 'we toast for' — how a toast is introduced at the table.

bottoms up!

Tip: lit. 'bottom up' — drain the glass.

cheers!

Tip: lit. 'bowl' — said with eye contact around the table.

the drinks are on me

Tip: lit. 'I invite' — the standard way to offer to pay.

to split the bill

Tip: lit. 'share on the bill' — the Swedish default.

a nightcap

Tip: lit. 'a bed-herder' — the last drink that sends you to bed.

to be a lightweight

Tip: lit. 'be a cheap drunk' — teasing, said among friends.

to drink in moderation

Tip: lit. 'drink with measure'.

the morning after the night before

Tip: lit. 'the day after' — everyone knows what it refers to.

to black out

Tip: lit. 'get blackout' — English loan, fully naturalised.

to be on the wagon

Tip: lit. 'keep oneself sober'.

a stiff drink

Tip: lit. 'a proper grog' — a strong mixed drink.

one for the road

Tip: lit. 'a journey-snap' — a drink before setting off, traditional and now frowned upon.

to buy a round

Tip: lit. 'invite for a round'.

it's closing time

Tip: lit. 'it's closing time' — Systembolaget shuts early, so this matters.

to drink and drive

Tip: lit. 'drive steering-wheel-drunk' — the legal term everyone uses.

to be stone cold sober

Tip: lit. 'be nail sober'.

to have a glass to unwind

Tip: lit. the same.

a glass of red

Tip: lit. the same — the colour does the work.

the house wine

Tip: lit. 'the house's wine'.

to open a bottle

Tip: lit. 'strike up a bottle'.

to top someone up

Tip: lit. 'fill up for someone'.

none for me, thanks

Tip: lit. the same.

I'm driving

Tip: lit. the same — a complete and final answer in Sweden.

to stick to soft drinks

Tip: lit. the same.

an alcohol-free beer

Tip: lit. the same — and genuinely good here now.

to be pushed to drink

Tip: lit. 'be nagged into drinking'.

nobody should have to explain

Tip: lit. the same.

to have a low tolerance

Tip: lit. 'tolerate little'.

to hold back

Tip: lit. 'hold back'.

to know when to stop

Tip: lit. the same.

to shop before the weekend

Tip: lit. the same — Saturday closing is early.

closed on Sundays

Tip: lit. the same — plan accordingly.

to run out mid-party

Tip: lit. the same — an unforced error.

supermarket-strength beer

Tip: lit. 'people's beer' — 3.5 percent, sold in ordinary shops.

eighteen in a bar, twenty in the shop

Tip: lit. the same — the two Swedish age limits.