Fifth
Meaning: A 750ml bottle of liquor, approximately one-fifth of a gallon.
A 'fifth' is the standard-sized bottle of hard liquor in America. The term comes from the old measurement of one-fifth of a US gallon. Even though the metric equivalent (750ml) is slightly different, Americans still call it a fifth. It's the most common bottle size purchased for personal use.
Examples
- I bought a fifth of tequila for Cinco de Mayo. 我为五月五日节买了一瓶五分之一加仑装的龙舌兰。Compré un fifth de tequila para el Cinco de Mayo.シンコ・デ・マヨ用にテキーラのフィフスを買った。싱코 데 마요용으로 테킬라 피프스를 샀어.
- He drank an entire fifth by himself — that's insane. 他一个人喝掉了一整瓶——太疯狂了。Se bebió un fifth entero él solo — es una locura.彼、フィフス1本を一人で飲んだんだって——信じられない。그 사람 피프스 한 병을 혼자 다 마셨대 — 미쳤어.
- A fifth should be enough for the two of us tonight. 今晚两个人的话,一瓶五分之一装应该够了。Un fifth debería bastarnos para los dos esta noche.今夜は二人ならフィフス1本で足りるでしょ。오늘 밤 둘이면 피프스 한 병이면 충분할 거야.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: liquor stores, party planning, drinking
Tone: practical, casual
✓ Do Say
- Let's split a fifth.咱们分一瓶吧。Compartamos un fifth.フィフス1本を分けよう。피프스 하나 나눠 마시자.
- I grabbed a fifth of whiskey.我买了一瓶威士忌。Cogí un fifth de whisky.ウイスキーのフィフスを買ってきた。위스키 피프스 하나 샀어.
✗ Don't Say
- Unique to American measurement — a 'fifth' means nothing in countries that use metric exclusively这是美国独有的计量方式——在完全使用公制的国家,'fifth'毫无意义Es exclusivo de las medidas americanas — 'fifth' no significa nada en países que usan exclusivamente el sistema métricoアメリカの単位特有の表現——メートル法のみの国では「fifth」は通じない미국 측정 단위에만 해당 — 미터법만 사용하는 나라에서는 '피프스'가 통하지 않는다
Origin & History
From the US measurement system — one-fifth of a US gallon (757ml, rounded to 750ml when the US adopted metric bottle sizes in 1980). The term persists in casual American speech.
Cultural Context
Era: Decades old, still current
Generation: All ages (21+)
Social background: Universal
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