# What is the origin of "A shot of whiskey"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 27, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691 "2014-10-27T21:51:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Harvey\_Ferguson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_Ferguson)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/1 "2014-10-27T21:51:02Z")
I was reading a thread on another site about this and thought… Straight Dope is the place to ask about this. Thanks in advance for any input.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/2 "2014-10-27T22:19:40Z")
I give up. What’s the context for this? Isn’t a shot of whiskey a shot of whiskey? Is it a sex act? A sports term? An early Johnny Cash song? Give us some help here.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/3 "2014-10-27T22:32:04Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> I give up. What’s the context for this? Isn’t a shot of whiskey a shot of whiskey? Is it a sex act? A sports term? An early Johnny Cash song? Give us some help here.
I don’t understand your confusion. I assume the OP is asking why a small glass of whiskey (or other spirits) is called a “shot” and not a small glass.
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### Author:  [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/4 "2014-10-27T22:33:10Z")
In a primitive bar setting, you can order beer or whiskey. In the latter case, you can have the whole bottle, or one “shot” - shotglass full - at a time.
“Beer and a shot” - for manly men. Nothing more complicated.
ETA: Etymology? A “shot” is a small amount of something. A “shot glass” is is a small glass that holds a small amount.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/5 "2014-10-27T22:41:03Z")
Apparently the term [“shot glass”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_glass) didn’t become current until the 1940s. The Wiki article gives a variety of unlikely origins for the term. Before the 1940s a glass for measuring liquor was called a jigger (as it still sometimes is).
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/6 "2014-10-27T22:42:17Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#):
>
> In a primitive bar setting, you can order beer or whiskey. In the latter case, you can have the whole bottle, or one “shot” - shotglass full - at a time.
>
> “Beer and a shot” - for manly men. Nothing more complicated.
>
> ETA: Etymology? A “shot” is a small amount of something. A “shot glass” is is a small glass that holds a small amount.
Well, a “shot,” if it does mean a small amount of something, seems to either come from the drink sense or the hypodermic needle sense, so your explanation doesn’t really work. I’m not aware of “shot” simply meaning “a small amount” in any other context.
[Here’s etymonline.com’s take on it](http://etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=shot&searchmode=none).
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/7 "2014-10-27T22:51:38Z")
The OED dates it from 1928, but it looks like it’s derived from an old term (from 1418) which means a bar tab. There’s an obsolete term from the 17th century that meant drinks in general, which probably came from the phrase “to stand shot,” meaning, “to pay your tab.”
It can be further traced to Old English scéotan, meaning “to pay.”
So when it was used to mean “a drink,” it came from the “bar tab.” The first cite (from P.G. Wodehouse) is “I’ll take a shot in a glass,” indicating he’ll take payment in liquid.
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### Author:  [@Harvey\_Ferguson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_Ferguson)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/8 "2014-10-27T22:58:33Z")
> [@Colibri](#):
>
> I don’t understand your confusion. I assume the OP is asking why a small glass of whiskey (or other spirits) is called a “shot” and not a small glass.
Exactly. On the other site it was claimed that the term “A shot of whiskey” originated in the old west. The claim was, a glass of whiskey cost 12 cents and so did a .45 cartridge and if a patron was short on cash a cartridge would be accepted as the price of a drink, hence, a shot of whiskey.
I tend to disbelieve this for some reason and figured the right answer would be found here. Thanks.
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### Author:  [@justmeetee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justmeetee)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/9 "2014-10-27T23:03:54Z")
Three fingers over one cylindrical ice “cube” and keep the tiny sissy glass. Problem solved.
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### Author:  [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/10 "2014-10-27T23:19:57Z")
> [@Colibri](#):
>
> Apparently the term [“shot glass”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_glass) didn’t become current until the 1940s. The Wiki article gives a variety of unlikely origins for the term. Before the 1940s a glass for measuring liquor was called a jigger (as it still sometimes is).
Typically I think, a shot glass holds 1.5 oz. whereas a jigger is only one ounce. Some drink recipes call for “a shot of X and a jigger of Y”, and a lot of shot glasses have a mark at the 1 oz. level; filled to the top is 1.5 oz.
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### Author:  [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/11 "2014-10-27T23:48:10Z")
> [@Harvey\_Ferguson](#):
>
> The claim was, a glass of whiskey cost 12 cents and so did a .45 cartridge and if a patron was short on cash a cartridge would be accepted as the price of a drink, hence, a shot of whiskey.
Sounds like another of those contrived tales. Among other objections, a .45 cartridge is not referred to as a “shot”.
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### Author:  [@HowSoonIsThen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HowSoonIsThen)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/12 "2014-10-27T23:52:19Z")
> [@Colibri](#):
>
> I don’t understand your confusion. I assume the OP is asking why a small glass of whiskey (or other spirits) is called a “shot” and not a small glass.
I’d say Exapno’s confusion is because he/she thought the question was specifically about the origin of the phrase “shot of whiskey” (and was hence confused as to what was so special about that particular phrase), not the origin of the term “shot”.
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### Author:  [@Harvey\_Ferguson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_Ferguson)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/13 "2014-10-27T23:57:16Z")
> [@Xema](#):
>
> Sounds like another of those contrived tales. Among other objections, a . **45 cartridge is not referred to as a “shot”**.
Exactly why I don’t believe the story.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/14 "2014-10-28T00:05:43Z")
> [@Colibri](#):
>
> I don’t understand your confusion. I assume the OP is asking why a small glass of whiskey (or other spirits) is called a “shot” and not a small glass.
You’re right about that but I didn’t find it all obvious. I’m on a permanent crusade to get posters to provide context for questions, especially about words or phrases. Who knows what the kids are saying these days?
A ngram for [“a shot of whiskey”](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=A+shot+of+whiskey&case_insensitive=on&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t4%3B%2CA%20shot%20of%20whiskey%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Ba%20shot%20of%20whiskey%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20shot%20of%20whiskey%3B%2Cc0) shows that it’s a much more recent term than most people would suppose.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/15 "2014-10-28T00:07:05Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#):
>
> Typically I think, a shot glass holds 1.5 oz. whereas a jigger is only one ounce. Some drink recipes call for “a shot of X and a jigger of Y”, and a lot of shot glasses have a mark at the 1 oz. level; filled to the top is 1.5 oz.
Nope. A jigger is 1.5 oz.
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### Author:  [@Harvey\_Ferguson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_Ferguson)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/16 "2014-10-28T00:15:44Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> You’re right about that but I didn’t find it all obvious. I’m on a permanent crusade to get posters to provide context for questions, especially about words or phrases. Who knows what the kids are saying these days?
>
> A ngram for [“a shot of whiskey”](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=A+shot+of+whiskey&case_insensitive=on&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t4%3B%2CA%20shot%20of%20whiskey%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Ba%20shot%20of%20whiskey%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20shot%20of%20whiskey%3B%2Cc0) shows that it’s a much more recent term than most people would suppose.
Sorry, I should have said: “What is the origin of the term a shot of whiskey”.
For the record, I haven’t been a kid for a good many years.
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### Author:  [@MsKaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsKaren)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/17 "2014-10-28T00:48:02Z")
"Old English scot, sceot "a shot, a shooting, an act of shooting; that which is discharged in shooting, **what is shot forth; darting, rapid motion,"** from the previously cited Online Etymology Dictionary; **bolding** added.
Perhaps the act of quickly tossing back that size drink led to calling it a shot? The same action of quickly darting forth makes sense for hypodermic shot as well.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/18 "2014-10-28T02:28:40Z")
> [@Harvey\_Ferguson](#):
>
> Sorry, I should have said: “What is the origin of the term a shot of whiskey”.
>
> For the record, I haven’t been a kid for a good many years.
No problem. You inadvertently stepped on my pet peeve and got in the way of my ouch.
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### Author:  [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/19 "2014-10-28T03:58:35Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> Nope. A jigger is 1.5 oz.
Right you are, my mistake. A shot & a jigger are the same, 1.5 oz. The 1 oz. dose apparently is called a “short shot” or “pony shot”.
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### Author:  [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2014, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-a-shot-of-whiskey/702691/20 "2014-10-28T07:52:30Z")
> [@MsKaren](#):
>
> "Old English scot, sceot "a shot, a shooting, an act of shooting; that which is discharged in shooting, **what is shot forth; darting, rapid motion,"** from the previously cited Online Etymology Dictionary; **bolding** added.
>
> Perhaps the act of quickly tossing back that size drink led to calling it a shot? The same action of quickly darting forth makes sense for hypodermic shot as well.
That source suggests that there was an intermediate step: throwing down the TAB (bill, cheque) was likened to shooting something, and it was the tab that later was associated with the thing being paid for – a small amount of liquor.
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