hair of the dog
noun
- noun (idiomatic) An alcoholic drink, particularly when taken the morning after to cure a hangover. “I'll be right back. I just need a little hair of the dog that bit me.”
Synonyms
coffin dodger corpse reviver pick-me-up eye-opener adult beverage alcohol bevvy booze carouse drink fuddling grog hard drink libation liquor lush nightcap potation potent potable sauce
Etymology
Ellipsis of hair of the dog that bit one, a folk remedy for rabies by placing hair from the dog that bites one into the wound. The use of the phrase as a metaphor for a hangover treatment dates at least to the 16ᵗʰ century.
The principle of “curing like with like” has existed in various cultures historically; see hair of the dog at Wikipedia for details; the use of the phrase “hair of the dog” for a hangover cure dates to antiquity, an early form being found in the Ugaritic text KTU 1.1114 line 29, where the chief god of the pantheon, i/el, takes some for his health. The usage is in turn a borrowing from Akkadian.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “hair of the dog”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details