bender

See also: Bender

English

Etymology

bend +‎ -er. In sense of “heavy drinking”, originally generally “spree”, from 1846, of uncertain origin – vague contemporary sense of “something extraordinary”, connection to bend (e.g., bending elbow to drink) or perhaps from Scottish sense of “strong drinker”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛndə/
• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛndɚ/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛndə(ɹ)

Noun

bender (plural benders)

1. One who, or that which, bends.
2. A device to aid bending of pipes to a specific angle.
3. (slang) A bout of heavy drinking.

   He's been out on a bender with his mates.

   • 1857, Newspaper, April:

     A couple of students of Williams College went over to North Adams on a bender. This would have been serious matter under the best of circumstances, but each returned with a “brick in his hat,” etc.

4. (chiefly UK, slang, derogatory) A homosexual man.
   • 2004, Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty, Bloomsbury, 2005, Chapter 6,

     “So they're easy about having a bender in the house, are they, their lordships?”

5. A simple shelter, made using flexible branches or withies
6. (obsolete, UK, slang) A sixpence.
   • 1836, Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers 42:

     What will you take to be paid out?’ said the butcher. ‘The regular chummage is two–and–six. Will you take three bob?’ ‘And a bender,’ suggested the clerical gentleman. ‘Well, I don’t mind that; it’s only twopence a piece more,’ said Mr. Martin. ‘What do you say, now? We’ll pay you out for three–and–sixpence a week. Come!’

7. (obsolete, slang, US) A spree, a frolic.
8. (obsolete, slang, US) Something exceptional.

Usage notes

In sense “bout of heavy drinking”, usually in form “on a bender”.

Synonyms

• (bout of heavy drinking): binge, spree, toot
• (homosexual man): See Thesaurus:male homosexual
• (shelter): bender tent

Derived terms

• conduit bender
• pipe bender

Translations

one who, or that which, bends

• Bulgarian: огъвач m (ogǎvač)
• Spanish: doblador m, dobladora f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

device to help bending

• Bulgarian: огъвач m (ogǎvač)
• Dutch: buigtang (nl)
• Finnish: taivutin
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Biegevorrichtung f, Biegegerät n
• Russian: трубогиб (ru) m (trubogib), трубогибочный стано́к m (trubogibočnyj stanók)
• Spanish: dobladora f, curvadora f

slang: bout of heavy drinking

• Bulgarian: гуляй (bg) m (guljaj), пиянство (bg) n (pijanstvo)
• Dutch: boemelpartij, doorzakfeestje, zuippartij (nl) f
• Finnish: dokaamassa (fi) (verb form)
• French: soûlerie (fr) f, beuverie (fr) f, murge (fr) f (slang), biture (fr) f (slang), cuite (fr) (slang), muflée (fr) f (slang)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Saufgelage (de) n
• Italian: sbronza (it) f
• Polish: popijawa (pl) f
• Russian: попо́йка (ru) f (popójka), пья́нка (ru) f (pʹjánka)

slang: homosexual man

• Bulgarian: педераст m (pederast)
• Dutch: poot (nl), nicht (nl)
• Finnish: hintti (fi)
• French: tarlouze (fr) f, pédale (fr) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Schwuler (de) m
• Greek: πούστης (el) m (poústis)
• Italian: frocio (it) m
• Norwegian: skeiv (no) m

simple shelter — see bender tent

Interjection

bender

1. (obsolete, British slang) Used to express disbelief or doubt at what one has just heard. [early 19th c.]
2. (obsolete, British slang) Used to indicate that the previous phrase was meant sarcastically or ironically. [early 19th c.]

   O yes, I'll do it — bender!

Synonyms

• (disbelief): See Thesaurus:bullshit
• (sarcasm): I don't think, not

References

• Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang, p. 96
• Eric Partridge (1949) A Dictionary of the Underworld, London: Macmillan Co.

Anagrams

• berend, rebend

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Aragonese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

bender

1. (transitive) to sell

References

• Bal Palazios, Santiago (2002) “bender”, in Dizionario breu de a luenga aragonesa, Zaragoza, →ISBN