Thanks for reviving this thread Dave. I 'lost' Quinion's "Worldwide Words" yesterday, and couldn't remember the name or title. Now I'm safely bookmarked again!

New Zealand is as far as you can get from Ireland, but I guess a few comments about our drinking terminology won't go amiss. Like Melbourne, mentioned above, we had the "six o'clock swill" up to 1967 when 10 o'clock closing was introduced. I'll quote from CAV Smith's wonderful book From N to Z..

(With apologies to old Omar K.)

Come fill the cup before the call of "Time"
(Yes, fill it quick before the "shout" is mine);
The minute hand has but a little way
To go - and so - Time, Gentlemen Please - O Time!

EVERY visitor must be impressed by our Licensing laws which are as up to date, as effective, as illogical and are strictly adhered to as are the Gambling Laws. When 10 per cent. of the male population was fighting overseas for Liberty in 1914-18, the Prohibition Party carried Prohibition, the situation only being saved when the soldiers' votes were counted. After all, why fight for liberty in Europe and lose it in New Zealand? However, a most enlightened piece of legislation was passed, namely, the 6 o'clock closing of bars. This means that the pubs are open when everybody is at work and closed when they have time to drink. If a farmer really worked from dawn till dark he would be a teetotaller. However, the Law has its good points. A visitor, watching the gigantic scrum which takes place in pubs any night between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., can easily understand why New Zealand produces such fine forwards. ....

NZ rugby went steadily down hill after '67 - mind you the All Blacks beat the Wallabies the other day (Ducks from trans-Tasman ICBMs).

By the late 60s a few major breweries had the market and the hotels cornered. The number of liquor licences in the country was limited, and huge "booze barns" became the norm in new suburbs. The system of bulk beer supply left visitors from the US and UK mind-boggled.

Gone were the days of unloading a few kegs at the Pub. A truck with a huge stainless steel tank would sledge up outside, hook up a hose, and fill the vats in the Pub's cellar. Like Melbourne the beer was over-chilled (It still is - I get my pint zapped in the microwave, much to the bemusement of visitors).

Let's go into the Public Bar. Often this was 'waterproof' to shoulder height, with drains, so it could be hosed out after the "swill". There were standing height tables, and maybe a few tall stools - most folk drank standing up. Behind the long bar were a number of hose-pipes with a pistol-like 'tap' at the end. Barmen would race up and down the bar, squirting beer, much of which overflowed, and grabbing money. No need to ask what breed of brew you wanted - there was only one on tap. You could ask for a bottle or spirits, but that was frowned on during the "swill".

There was a choice of glass sizes, typically 5, 7, 10 and 12oz, with maybe pint handles or handless 'schooners'. You got your glass, but ordered the beer in a ....

Jug (or two) - this held a bit more than a quart (a gill?). That way you didn't have to fight your way to the bar too often. Jugs are still common in Public bars. Takeaway draught beer came in a ..

Jar (= Half-G, Flagon or Peter) - a reuseable, half-gallon, screw-top glass bottle. Now we have smaller disposable plastic 'Riggers'.

Like many places mentioned above, ladies were not allowed in Public Bars, in fact, for years the only females allowed behind the bar were members of the Publican's family. The lasses drank in the Lounge Bar (= Hosse Bar, Cat's Bar or Snug), which often just had the hatch servery mentioned above. Poncy pubs had waiter service. In many cases "unattached" males were only allowed in if part of a 'mixed' group.

Legal Sunday trading is a recent innovation - mainly in tourist areas. Mind you, 'after hours' and 'Sunday School' were par for the course in most Country Pubs...

Ahh... those were the days, when a bloke got half-sozzled in an hour. Parties started at 8pm, and everyone was legless by midnight.

Drinking became more civilised post 10pm closing. Most folk now sit down and you seldom see the punters a dozen deep at the bar. Beer arrives in stainless steel kegs, and most Pubs have four or more breeds 'on-tap' (now stationary UK-style 'pumps').

Aww... shucks - n'uff said - I'm thirsty

Slainte - Sam