The standard New Zealand and South African English term for a liquor store or off-licence — the kind of shop where you pick up beer, wine, and spirits to take home.
The standard New Zealand and South African English term for a liquor store or off-licence — the kind of shop where you pick up beer, wine, and spirits to take home. In New Zealand it's so deeply embedded in everyday vocabulary that most people have never thought to question it. South Africans use it with equal casualness. The name comes from the historic practice of buying bottled alcohol separately from general groceries, and it remains the default word in both countries today.
We need to stop at the bottle store before the party — we're completely out of wine.
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(Australia, NZ) A liquor store.
Bottle shop is the Australian and New Zealand term for a liquor store — the place you go to pick up beer, wine, spirits, or whatever you need for the weekend. In Australia particularly, many bottle shops are attached to pubs (called drive-throughs) and are a completely standard part of suburban life. While Americans say liquor store or off-license (UK), Australians just say bottle shop or the shortened 'bottlo' if they're in a hurry, which they often are when it's near closing time.
(Australia, NZ, informal) A shop that sells alcoholic beverages.
(Australia, NZ, informal) A bottle shop.
(New Zealand, South Africa) A liquor store.