Empinar el codo

to hit the bottle; **to hit the bottle**; **to booze**; **to drink heavily**; **to have a few drinks**; **to bend the elbow**

Empinar el codo means to drink alcohol, to hit the bottle, to booze, to have a few drinks, or to drink heavily, depending on the context.

It usually implies drinking more than just a small amount.

• drinks a great deal of alcohol
• enjoys going out for drinks
• spends time drinking with friends
• drinks more than is advisable

The expression comes directly from the physical movement involved in drinking.

To empty a glass, the drinker naturally raises the elbow.

This everyday gesture became a humorous metonym for drinking alcohol itself.

The image is so obvious that the expression remains immediately understandable today.

The idiom is generally light-hearted.

It often refers to social drinking rather than alcoholism, although the context may suggest excessive alcohol consumption.

Spanish speakers frequently use it jokingly among friends.

Spanish has many idioms related to drinking alcohol:

• Empinar el codo → to drink alcohol.
• Ir de copas → to go out for drinks.
• Ponerse morado (context-dependent) → to overindulge.
• Agarrar una cogorza → to get very drunk.

Among them, empinar el codo is one of the oldest and most visual, reducing the whole act of drinking to the simple movement of raising the elbow.

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would not normally say:

He raised his elbow.

Instead, use expressions such as:

• He had a few drinks.
• He hit the bottle.
• They went out drinking.
• He was boozing.

Choose the translation according to whether the emphasis is on casual social drinking or excessive alcohol consumption.