Yep another thread about the “little differences” the four english speaking countries I’ve lived in have.
From “Pulp Fiction”
VINCENT
It’s the little differences. A lotta the
same shit we got here, they got there, but
there they’re a little different.
{ He goes on to talk about having beer in movie theaters - something I’d miss if I was back in the USA as it’s common in Europe. If “Royale with cheese” is actually a thing I dunno. }
Everyone knows what “next round is on me” or if you tip well the bartender might say “on the house” or similar.
In Australia you can say to one of your mates, “hey next shout is yours” to mean the same as the former above.
Yet if good fortune has come your way, you could “Shout the bar!” - I suppose either doing it yourself or informing the bartender. A big shout does go up, “Hey good on ya, mate!” and typically everyone would get another round of what they were drinking - not like everyone gets a shot of Loch Lomond. I’ve been in a bar where a shout happened and on my last night in Melbourne I had a few extra dolleridus and did it myself. Did it just before midnight and was back in NYC just before midnight on the same day.
I was in an English Pub tonight and mentioned this phrase to my wife and reckoned nobody would know what I was talking about. Sure, you could inform the bartender everyone’s next round is on you. That is of course still pretty cool yet Australia has (had?) a phrase for it.
In these parts, the phrase is “splash the bar.” Usually said quietly to the bartender, then everyone at the bar gets an inverted shot glass placed in front of them to indicate next drink is paid for.
Is the upside down shot glass a thing elsewhere? Some places did a poker chip or a token. But the shot glass is more common.
Never heard the term “shout” used that way…anywhere in the US I’ve been/lived.
But I’ve only ever seen the inverted empty shot glass as a signal that the next drink is paid for. It’s possible I may not remember every last instance, but pretty sure that’s the only cue I’ve seen not in a case nor on the wall nor at a table to signal the next one’s a gimme.
Oh. Yeah, the exception is if somebody buys a specific drink for either everyone or a group of strangers. Oddly enough, it’s often a Jameson, neat, the times I recall…which I could take or leave as an Irish whiskey, but not if someone else is buying! Or else some kind of specialty-of-the-house type drink.
I’ve been in bars that use shot glasses. I’ve been in many bars that have a chip with the bar’s name on it. In fact I have a small collection (25) of these chips that I’ve accumulated by not redeeming my freebie.
On a few occasions I’ve bought a “round for the house”. I specifically do that if there are only a few people at the bar.
Someday, I’ll have to do this. Maybe a quiet Tuesday night, I’ll walk in the back door of my tavern, count the old coots at the bar, and peek at what they’re drinking (two light beers, five real beers, and a mimosa? I can afford that!).
“But there’s-a nothing so lonesome, morbid or drear
Than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer.”
– Slim Dusty
But @China_Guy is right. When I’ve been in Australia, and out for the night with friends, somebody will say, “I’ll shout the first round, if Spoons shouts the second.” I’d agree (to do otherwise would be impolite), but I might even nominate somebody for the third: “Ian’s gotta shout the third round.”
Then, when we get there, “It’s your shout, Spoons.” Which means, as China_Guy says, it’s my turn to buy the next round for the group. I do, but remind Ian, “Your shout next.” And he complies, and might nominate another friend.