Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One that makes or repairs boilers.
  • noun Slang A drink of whiskey with a beer chaser.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A person qualified to make or repair boilers.
  • noun US A whiskey with a beer chaser.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From boiler + maker.

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Examples

Comments

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  • I've only seen this word used in the context of the Boilermaker's Union. that is, The Internatinal Brotherhood of Boilermakers, or its national affiliates. I think most boilrmakers probably don't make boilers anymore. Ah, the halcyon days of steam!

    October 16, 2007

  • A boilermaker is a shot of whiskey followed with a beer chaser. If you pour the whiskey into the beer instead of drinking them sequentially, it's called a sidecar. If you drop the shotglass into the beer and drink them together, it's called a depth charge.

    I used to drink these by the bucket, once upon a time.

    October 17, 2007

  • I've drunk boilermakers too, unwittingly.

    October 17, 2007

  • I've had them quite wittingly.

    October 17, 2007

  • I haven't had one. It sounds like fun, except that when I mix grain and grape, I tend to hurl. Not fun.

    October 17, 2007

  • Oh, please don't let anyone suggest starting a list of words that mean hurling....

    Damn. I just did it.

    October 17, 2007

  • Are you kidding?! That was the first list I ever compiled, back in grade school! *rummages through papers*

    October 17, 2007