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Origin and history of alky

alky(n.)

also alchy, 1841, "an alcoholic drink" (also "alcoholic drink personified"), a slang shortening of alcoholic liquor first attested in temperance publications. As "a drunkard" (short for alcoholic (n.)) it is suggested by 1888.

"What is his name?"
"Hall is his real name; but they call him Alky, because he drinks — Alky Hall; alcohol, you know. But he's given up drinking now, since I told him about temperance and lent him my Sargent's 'Temperance Tales.' I'll warrant you he'll never drink another drop." [Joseph Kirkland, "The McVeys," 1888] 

also from 1841

Entries linking to alky

alcoholic(adj.)

1790, "of or pertaining to alcohol;" see alcohol + -ic. The meaning "caused by drunkenness" is attested by 1872; the meaning "habitually drunk" by 1910. The noun sense of "one who is addicted to drinking in excess, chronic drunkard, old rounder" is recorded from 1891; an earlier term for one was alcoholist (1877 in clinical writing, earlier in temperance literature this word simply meant "a drinker of alcohol"). Alcoholics Anonymous was founded 1935 in Akron, Ohio, U.S.

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    Trends of alky

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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    lush
    mid-15c., "lax, flaccid, soft, tender" (obsolete or dialectal), from Old French lasche "soft, loose, slack, negligent, cowardly," from laschier "loosen," from Late Latin laxicare "become shaky," related to Latin laxare "loosen," from laxus "loose" (from PIE root *sleg- "be slack,
    souse
    late 14c., sousen, "to pickle, steep in vinegar," from Old French sous, souz (adj.) "preserved in salt and vinegar," from Frankish *sultja or some other Germanic source (compare Old Saxon sultia "salt water," Old High German sulza "brine"), from Proto-Germanic *salt- (from PIE ro
    sot
    late Old English sott "stupid person, fool," a sense now obsolete, from Old French sot, from Gallo-Roman *sott- (probably related to Medieval Latin sottus), a word of uncertain origin, with cognates from Portugal to Germany. The surviving English meaning "one who is stupefied wit
    Tso
    in Chinese restaurant dishes, a reference to General Tso Tsungtang (1812-1885), military leader during the late Qing dynasty who crushed the Taiping rebels in four provinces. The chicken dish that bears his name (for no apparent reason) in Chinese restaurants apparently is modifi
    inebriate
    late 15c., from Latin inebriatus, past participle of inebriare "to make drunk," from in- "in" (from PIE root *en "in") + ebriare "make drunk," from ebrius "drunk," probably from PIE root *hegwh- "to drink." Related: Inebriated; inebriating. Also used in 19c. English were inebriac
    liquor
    c. 1200, likur "any matter in a liquid state, a liquid or fluid substance," from Old French licor "fluid, liquid; sap; oil" (12c., Modern French liqueur), from Latin liquorem (nominative liquor) "a liquid, liquor; wine; the sea," originally "liquidity, fluidity," from liquere "be
    goal
    1530s, "end point of a race," of uncertain origin. It appears once before this (as gol), in a poem from early 14c. and with an apparent sense of "boundary, limit." Perhaps from Old English *gal "obstacle, barrier," a word implied by gælan "to hinder" and also found in compounds (
    bow
    [bend the body] Middle English bouen, from Old English bugan "to bend, become bent, have or assume a curved direction; to bow down, bend the body in condescension or reverence, to submit," also "to turn back" (class II strong verb; past tense beag, past participle bogen), from Pr
    consternation
    "astonishment combined with terror," 1610s, from French consternation "dismay, confusion," from Latin consternationem (nominative consternatio) "confusion, dismay," noun of state from past-participle stem of consternare "overcome, confuse, dismay, perplex, terrify, alarm," which
    speed
    Middle English spede, from Old English sped "success, a successful course; prosperity, riches, wealth; luck, good fortune; opportunity, advancement," from Proto-Germanic *spodiz (source also of Old Saxon spod "success," Dutch spoed "haste, speed," Old High German spuot "success,"

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    Dictionary entries near alky
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