alkie

English

Alternative forms

• alky

Etymology

Clipping of alcoholic +‎ -ie. First use appears c. 1844 in the defunct periodical Akron Ohio Buzzard.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæl.ki/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

alkie (plural alkies)

1. (informal) An alcoholic.
   • 1966, Edward Albee, A Delicate Balance:

     You want to know what it's like to be an alkie, don't you, boy?

   • 1994, Faye Morgan, Riding the Gold Curve:

     Also, she fed patients who were unable to feed themselves and, occasionally, dealt with an alkie who treated a patient badly.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:drunkard

See also

• junkie

Anagrams

• Kalie, alike