What it means
A bender is a proper drinking spree that blows straight past one or two and turns into a messy long haul, sometimes all night, sometimes half the weekend. You meant to have a quick pint, then suddenly you're doing shots, eating terrible food at sunrise, and sending your boss messages that belong in the bin. Usually said in go on a bender. Also worth knowing that bender has been used as a slur for gay men, so don't throw it at people.
Usage examples
"He said one pint after work. Three days later he’s still in Spoons, clutching a flat lager and a regret, swearing he’ll make Nan’s Sunday roast."
"He went on a three-day bender after the breakup and regretted every minute."
"We're keeping it quiet this weekend, no bender, just a film and an early night."
"We only went out to watch the match and somehow turned it into a full bender that ended with breakfast pints at the station."
"I'm too old for a bender now, mate. Two nights on the spin and my soul starts filing complaints."
Where it comes from
The booze sense of bender is older English slang. It grew out of the idea of a bend or violent swing away from normal behaviour, and by the late 19th century it was being used for a wild spree, especially a long drinking one. That meaning stuck hard in British and wider English slang.
Other ways to say it
This expression also appears in
