What it means
A watering hole is a pub or bar people keep circling back to, usually their regular spot. It paints everyone as thirsty wildlife rocking up for a drink, a moan, and a bit of gossip. You can use it for any handy boozer, but it often means the place where the staff already know what you're having.
Usage examples
"Fancy the watering hole after work? I need a pint and a rant. If Dave starts banging on about crypto again, I’m grabbing fresh air outside."
"Right lads, after this brutal client meeting in Canary Wharf we are heading to the watering hole on Limehouse Road, Pete is buying and I refuse to leave before the second pint."
"My uncle still props up the same watering hole in Bolton every Thursday with the same six blokes, same darts board, same crisps, and the new landlord knows them all by first name."
"We're not doing cocktails and all that circus tonight, let's just head to our usual watering hole and park ourselves by the fruit machine."
"Every Friday he vanishes into the same little watering hole off the high street, orders a lager, and acts like he's on the village council."
Where it comes from
It comes straight from the literal watering holes where animals gather to drink. By the 19th century, especially in American English, people were using it for saloons and bars. The image did the heavy lifting and stuck nicely, turning regular drinkers into a familiar herd drifting back for a sip and a chinwag.
Other ways to say it
This expression also appears in
