Does “he squandered his car on drink” sound natural?
I am struggling with how to express the idea that somebody sold out some article of his possession (computer, car, house, etc.) and used the money to buy himself alcohol to drink.
For example,
-- Where is his computer?
-- Well, he squandered it on drink.
Dictionaries show that "to squander on drink" is okay; but when I type in Google Search "squandered his car on drink", I get zero results, which makes me think that there might be some better and more common ways of expressing the same thought.
phrase-request
asked 2 hours ago
brilliantbrilliant
91421528
add a comment |
I am struggling with how to express the idea that somebody sold out some article of his possession (computer, car, house, etc.) and used the money to buy himself alcohol to drink.
For example,
-- Where is his computer?
-- Well, he squandered it on drink.
Dictionaries show that "to squander on drink" is okay; but when I type in Google Search "squandered his car on drink", I get zero results, which makes me think that there might be some better and more common ways of expressing the same thought.
phrase-request
asked 2 hours ago
brilliantbrilliant
91421528
add a comment |
I am struggling with how to express the idea that somebody sold out some article of his possession (computer, car, house, etc.) and used the money to buy himself alcohol to drink.
For example,
-- Where is his computer?
-- Well, he squandered it on drink.
Dictionaries show that "to squander on drink" is okay; but when I type in Google Search "squandered his car on drink", I get zero results, which makes me think that there might be some better and more common ways of expressing the same thought.
phrase-request
asked 2 hours ago
brilliantbrilliant
91421528
I am struggling with how to express the idea that somebody sold out some article of his possession (computer, car, house, etc.) and used the money to buy himself alcohol to drink.
For example,
-- Where is his computer?
-- Well, he squandered it on drink.
Dictionaries show that "to squander on drink" is okay; but when I type in Google Search "squandered his car on drink", I get zero results, which makes me think that there might be some better and more common ways of expressing the same thought.
phrase-request
phrase-request
asked 2 hours ago
brilliantbrilliant
91421528
asked 2 hours ago
brilliantbrilliant
91421528
edited 2 hours ago
brilliant
asked 2 hours ago
brilliantbrilliant
91421528
asked 2 hours ago
brilliantbrilliant
91421528
asked 2 hours ago
brilliantbrilliant
91421528
91421528
add a comment |
add a comment |
3 Answers
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votes
I think one normally squanders money on something. The money could come from selling an item, but you have to make that explicit. Try something like:
-- Well, he sold his computer and squandered his profits on drink.
answered 2 hours ago
MixolydianMixolydian
4,016513
add a comment |
While you can squander money on drink, you cannot generally squander anything else on drink. The top dictionary definition of "squander" is "to spend or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or wastefully." You cannot "spend" a car or a computer, so it doesn't make sense to squander them either.
Strangely, using "drink" idiomatically to mean "alcohol" is almost always done in the context of wasting money, time, or opportunity:
He blew his money on drink.
She had so much potential, but she wasted it all on gambling and drink.
Otherwise, native speakers tend to use a different slang term, such as "booze", or a more literal or specific term like "liquor," "beer," or even just "alchohol."
Here are some alternatives that I think communicates what you're trying to say. I'm ordering them roughly from most straightforward to most judgmental:
He sold his car to buy alcohol.
He traded his car for beer money.
He sold his car and blew the money on booze.
"Squander" is a funny-sounding word, and normally used only in specific contexts. The most common phrases using "squander," as far as I'm aware, are:
- To squander money / resources
- To squander goodwill
- To squander your time
- To squander an opportunity
answered 2 hours ago
JesseJesse
1,16759
add a comment |
Well, he’s drunk it away!
I’ve heard the expression to drink something away a few times, but I am not sure if it is idiomatic.
answered 2 hours ago
Andrew TobilkoAndrew Tobilko
1,852521
I'm not a native speaker of English, but this doesn't sound idiomatic to me. You can drink away money, your wage, the pain, the day, the memory – but this is really stretching the idiom to its limits. I suppose it might work provided it's inferable from the context, with the obvious intention of trying to be adroit at wordplay or whatever this is. I might be wrong as far as how it might be perceived, but this definitely wouldn't be the normal usage of the idiom.
– userr2684291
46 mins ago
add a comment |
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3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
I think one normally squanders money on something. The money could come from selling an item, but you have to make that explicit. Try something like:
-- Well, he sold his computer and squandered his profits on drink.
answered 2 hours ago
MixolydianMixolydian
4,016513
add a comment |
I think one normally squanders money on something. The money could come from selling an item, but you have to make that explicit. Try something like:
-- Well, he sold his computer and squandered his profits on drink.
answered 2 hours ago
MixolydianMixolydian
4,016513
add a comment |
I think one normally squanders money on something. The money could come from selling an item, but you have to make that explicit. Try something like:
-- Well, he sold his computer and squandered his profits on drink.
answered 2 hours ago
MixolydianMixolydian
4,016513
I think one normally squanders money on something. The money could come from selling an item, but you have to make that explicit. Try something like:
-- Well, he sold his computer and squandered his profits on drink.
answered 2 hours ago
MixolydianMixolydian
4,016513
answered 2 hours ago
MixolydianMixolydian
4,016513
answered 2 hours ago
MixolydianMixolydian
4,016513
answered 2 hours ago
MixolydianMixolydian
4,016513
4,016513
add a comment |
add a comment |
While you can squander money on drink, you cannot generally squander anything else on drink. The top dictionary definition of "squander" is "to spend or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or wastefully." You cannot "spend" a car or a computer, so it doesn't make sense to squander them either.
Strangely, using "drink" idiomatically to mean "alcohol" is almost always done in the context of wasting money, time, or opportunity:
He blew his money on drink.
She had so much potential, but she wasted it all on gambling and drink.
Otherwise, native speakers tend to use a different slang term, such as "booze", or a more literal or specific term like "liquor," "beer," or even just "alchohol."
Here are some alternatives that I think communicates what you're trying to say. I'm ordering them roughly from most straightforward to most judgmental:
He sold his car to buy alcohol.
He traded his car for beer money.
He sold his car and blew the money on booze.
"Squander" is a funny-sounding word, and normally used only in specific contexts. The most common phrases using "squander," as far as I'm aware, are:
- To squander money / resources
- To squander goodwill
- To squander your time
- To squander an opportunity
answered 2 hours ago
JesseJesse
1,16759
add a comment |
While you can squander money on drink, you cannot generally squander anything else on drink. The top dictionary definition of "squander" is "to spend or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or wastefully." You cannot "spend" a car or a computer, so it doesn't make sense to squander them either.
Strangely, using "drink" idiomatically to mean "alcohol" is almost always done in the context of wasting money, time, or opportunity:
He blew his money on drink.
She had so much potential, but she wasted it all on gambling and drink.
Otherwise, native speakers tend to use a different slang term, such as "booze", or a more literal or specific term like "liquor," "beer," or even just "alchohol."
Here are some alternatives that I think communicates what you're trying to say. I'm ordering them roughly from most straightforward to most judgmental:
He sold his car to buy alcohol.
He traded his car for beer money.
He sold his car and blew the money on booze.
"Squander" is a funny-sounding word, and normally used only in specific contexts. The most common phrases using "squander," as far as I'm aware, are:
- To squander money / resources
- To squander goodwill
- To squander your time
- To squander an opportunity
answered 2 hours ago
JesseJesse
1,16759
add a comment |
While you can squander money on drink, you cannot generally squander anything else on drink. The top dictionary definition of "squander" is "to spend or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or wastefully." You cannot "spend" a car or a computer, so it doesn't make sense to squander them either.
Strangely, using "drink" idiomatically to mean "alcohol" is almost always done in the context of wasting money, time, or opportunity:
He blew his money on drink.
She had so much potential, but she wasted it all on gambling and drink.
Otherwise, native speakers tend to use a different slang term, such as "booze", or a more literal or specific term like "liquor," "beer," or even just "alchohol."
Here are some alternatives that I think communicates what you're trying to say. I'm ordering them roughly from most straightforward to most judgmental:
He sold his car to buy alcohol.
He traded his car for beer money.
He sold his car and blew the money on booze.
"Squander" is a funny-sounding word, and normally used only in specific contexts. The most common phrases using "squander," as far as I'm aware, are:
- To squander money / resources
- To squander goodwill
- To squander your time
- To squander an opportunity
answered 2 hours ago
JesseJesse
1,16759
While you can squander money on drink, you cannot generally squander anything else on drink. The top dictionary definition of "squander" is "to spend or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or wastefully." You cannot "spend" a car or a computer, so it doesn't make sense to squander them either.
Strangely, using "drink" idiomatically to mean "alcohol" is almost always done in the context of wasting money, time, or opportunity:
He blew his money on drink.
She had so much potential, but she wasted it all on gambling and drink.
Otherwise, native speakers tend to use a different slang term, such as "booze", or a more literal or specific term like "liquor," "beer," or even just "alchohol."
Here are some alternatives that I think communicates what you're trying to say. I'm ordering them roughly from most straightforward to most judgmental:
He sold his car to buy alcohol.
He traded his car for beer money.
He sold his car and blew the money on booze.
"Squander" is a funny-sounding word, and normally used only in specific contexts. The most common phrases using "squander," as far as I'm aware, are:
- To squander money / resources
- To squander goodwill
- To squander your time
- To squander an opportunity
answered 2 hours ago
JesseJesse
1,16759
answered 2 hours ago
JesseJesse
1,16759
answered 2 hours ago
JesseJesse
1,16759
answered 2 hours ago
JesseJesse
1,16759
1,16759
add a comment |
add a comment |
Well, he’s drunk it away!
I’ve heard the expression to drink something away a few times, but I am not sure if it is idiomatic.
answered 2 hours ago
Andrew TobilkoAndrew Tobilko
1,852521
I'm not a native speaker of English, but this doesn't sound idiomatic to me. You can drink away money, your wage, the pain, the day, the memory – but this is really stretching the idiom to its limits. I suppose it might work provided it's inferable from the context, with the obvious intention of trying to be adroit at wordplay or whatever this is. I might be wrong as far as how it might be perceived, but this definitely wouldn't be the normal usage of the idiom.
– userr2684291
46 mins ago
add a comment |
Well, he’s drunk it away!
I’ve heard the expression to drink something away a few times, but I am not sure if it is idiomatic.
answered 2 hours ago
Andrew TobilkoAndrew Tobilko
1,852521
I'm not a native speaker of English, but this doesn't sound idiomatic to me. You can drink away money, your wage, the pain, the day, the memory – but this is really stretching the idiom to its limits. I suppose it might work provided it's inferable from the context, with the obvious intention of trying to be adroit at wordplay or whatever this is. I might be wrong as far as how it might be perceived, but this definitely wouldn't be the normal usage of the idiom.
– userr2684291
46 mins ago
add a comment |
Well, he’s drunk it away!
I’ve heard the expression to drink something away a few times, but I am not sure if it is idiomatic.
answered 2 hours ago
Andrew TobilkoAndrew Tobilko
1,852521
Well, he’s drunk it away!
I’ve heard the expression to drink something away a few times, but I am not sure if it is idiomatic.
answered 2 hours ago
Andrew TobilkoAndrew Tobilko
1,852521
answered 2 hours ago
Andrew TobilkoAndrew Tobilko
1,852521
answered 2 hours ago
Andrew TobilkoAndrew Tobilko
1,852521
answered 2 hours ago
Andrew TobilkoAndrew Tobilko
1,852521
1,852521
I'm not a native speaker of English, but this doesn't sound idiomatic to me. You can drink away money, your wage, the pain, the day, the memory – but this is really stretching the idiom to its limits. I suppose it might work provided it's inferable from the context, with the obvious intention of trying to be adroit at wordplay or whatever this is. I might be wrong as far as how it might be perceived, but this definitely wouldn't be the normal usage of the idiom.
– userr2684291
46 mins ago
add a comment |
I'm not a native speaker of English, but this doesn't sound idiomatic to me. You can drink away money, your wage, the pain, the day, the memory – but this is really stretching the idiom to its limits. I suppose it might work provided it's inferable from the context, with the obvious intention of trying to be adroit at wordplay or whatever this is. I might be wrong as far as how it might be perceived, but this definitely wouldn't be the normal usage of the idiom.
– userr2684291
46 mins ago
I'm not a native speaker of English, but this doesn't sound idiomatic to me. You can drink away money, your wage, the pain, the day, the memory – but this is really stretching the idiom to its limits. I suppose it might work provided it's inferable from the context, with the obvious intention of trying to be adroit at wordplay or whatever this is. I might be wrong as far as how it might be perceived, but this definitely wouldn't be the normal usage of the idiom.
– userr2684291
46 mins ago
I'm not a native speaker of English, but this doesn't sound idiomatic to me. You can drink away money, your wage, the pain, the day, the memory – but this is really stretching the idiom to its limits. I suppose it might work provided it's inferable from the context, with the obvious intention of trying to be adroit at wordplay or whatever this is. I might be wrong as far as how it might be perceived, but this definitely wouldn't be the normal usage of the idiom.
– userr2684291
46 mins ago
add a comment |
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