collins
collins Lexical Profile
collins Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A tall, refreshing mixed drink made with a distilled spirit (such as gin or whiskey), lemon or lime juice, sugar, and carbonated water, served over ice.
"On hot summer afternoons, the terrace bar serves a classic gin collins garnished with a slice of fresh lemon."
A tall, cylindrical glass tumbler, typically holding 10 to 14 fluid ounces, used for serving mixed drinks over ice.
"The bartender filled a chilled collins with ice cubes before pouring in the sparkling lemonade."
British A formal letter of thanks written to one's host and hostess after a visit or stay (informal, dated).
"As soon as he returned to London from the country estate, he sat down at his desk to write a polite collins to his hosts."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The cocktail sense originates in the 19th century, named after a London bartender named John Collins or a popular 1874 hoax known as the Great Tom Collins Hoax. The thank-you letter sense derives from the obsequious clergyman William Collins in Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice, who sent a famously formal letter of gratitude after visiting the Bennet family.