bender

I am browsing through my "Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang A-G" to try and find a better URL than quikbeam. It's a fun book to browse through partly because of the fun terms and partly because the etymologies are awesome. I'll share at least part of some of them in posts and todays is

bender n. 1a. [poss. from Scots dial. bend to drink, esp. to drink hard or greedily...a draught of liquor', and bender 'a drinker'; see EDD I 244] a carousal; a spree. -usu. in phr. on a bender

1845 Corcoran Pickings 62: I was on an almighty big bender last night. 1846 in Lowell Poetical Wks. 176: "I won't agree to no such bender" 1847 in Dolph Sound Off 392:
At Buena Vista I was sure
That Yankee Troops surrender,
And bade my men hurrah, for you're
All going on a bender

The definitions and etymologies go on to fill a whole column.