# What is the origin of "tie one on"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-tie-one-on/514541 "2009-10-20T23:49:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-tie-one-on/514541/1 "2009-10-20T23:49:02Z")
First, what does the expression mean? Have an alcoholic drink, or have one last alcoholic drink before departing from a social event? I’ve never been clear on the meaning, and…what is the origin of this expression? To what does it refer? ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-tie-one-on/514541/2 "2009-10-20T23:54:13Z")
If you mean “tie one on” I have always thought that means go out and get completely loaded, drinking many too many beverages in the course of the evening… Man, I feel like hell this morning. I must have really tied one on last night!!! ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-tie-one-on/514541/3 "2009-10-21T00:50:29Z")
Hmm, I’ve seen it used to simply mean having a drink. But, I believe I’ve heard it used to mean one’s last drink of the evening. Still…what the heck does it refer to? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-tie-one-on/514541/4 "2009-10-21T01:27:44Z")
A few ideas on [this page](http://meaningfulnessoflittlethings.blogspot.com/2008/03/origins-tie-one-on.html). FWIW I’ve only ever heard it used to mean “get hammered”, not “have one drink” or anything to do with the last drink of the night. Nor, as a Brit, have I ever heard the “tie a bun on” variant. Edit: more on the bun theme [here](http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20000824). ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-tie-one-on/514541/5 "2009-10-21T01:53:21Z")
I don’t know but I have this little story. Many years ago a woman worked for me who was young, foreign and new the U.S., and very sweet and innocent. One morning a few of us were talking in the hallway and she said to me, “I’m going to tie one on Friday.” We were kind of shocked because we didn’t even think she drank, and we certainly didn’t think she knew such American slang. Turned out she said, “I’m going to Taiwan on Friday.” ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-tie-one-on/514541/6 "2009-10-21T16:23:37Z")
[http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6489](http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6489) has more than you probably want to know. For example ‘tie one on’ may come from an even more mysterious British expression ‘tie a bag on’. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-tie-one-on/514541/7 "2009-10-21T16:32:19Z")
> [@janeslogin](#): > > …even more mysterious British expression ‘tie a bag on’. That doesn’t seem so very mysterious. Presumably it refers to a feed bag _tied on_ to a horse’s snout. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-tie-one-on/514541/8 "2009-10-23T21:10:32Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > That doesn’t seem so very mysterious. Presumably it refers to a feed bag _tied on_ to a horse’s snout. When my Brit friend first came to America, he said, “Care to go out for a nose bag?”. I was thinking, well I wouldn’t mind going and grabbing some lunch, but don’t you think it is rather inappropriate to score and do a bunch of blow during lunchtime? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-tie-one-on/514541/9 "2009-10-23T21:18:25Z")
I had just asssumed it came from tying a feedbag onto a horse.