turps, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

turps n.

[abbr. SE turpentine]

1. (also terps) any form of alcohol; also attrib.

1865		H. Kingsley Hillyars and Burtons (1870) 314: They tossed for a go of turps and a hayband [...] that means a glass of gin and a cigar.
1966		R. Stone Hall of Mirrors (1987) 85: There’s the guys that come from [...] the terps camps—like me. And there’s the stumblebums.
1968		J. Alard He who Shoots Last 96: Ya must be full of turps ta talk like dat.
1973		C. Gaines Stay Hungry 146: I’ve done it all, man, glue, mushrooms, twenty-five, turps, Nembutal, THC, hash ... I been weird every way there is.
1999		Bug (Aus.) 29 June 🌐 We almost swore to give up the turps for a day.

2. (Aus.) beer.

1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 12 Oct. 4: [cartoon of adult ‘baby’ sucking from bottle] Turps.
1890		Bulletin (Sydney) 19 July 19/1: Morgan [...] concluded that the horse must be ill, and on the strength of something he had read in an agricultural paper, administered a pint of turps to the suffering moke.

turpsed (adj.)

(Aus.) drunk.

1996

J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 289: Sutcliffe had been accosted in the Paddock by a small crowd of turpsed knockabouts .

turps merchant (n.)

(Aus.) a heavy drinker.

1972

A. Chipper Aussie Swearers Guide 43: Turps Merchant. Drinker (ditto, i.e. ‘of enviable capacity’).

turps nudger (n.)

a heavy drinker; thus nudge the turps v., to drink (heavily).

1988		B. Humphries Complete Barry McKenzie 12: No smokes, not nudgin’ the turps too hard, sex in moderation.
1989		Sydney Morn. Herald 5 Sept. 28/2: I certainly wouldn’t have picked [her] as a bit of a turps-nudger.
1988		Age (Melbourne) 28 Apr. 37/1: We Australians have got a social conscience [...] Most of the shows I have seen have tackled king-size [...] problems such as [...] turps-nudging, poofterism and pillow-biting.
1999		Indep. 25 June 7: Barry Humphries [...] called a hard-drinking friend ‘a card-carrying turps-nudger who bugles the bottle.’.
1999		Roger’s Profanisaurus in Viz 98 Oct. 29: turps-nudger n. A top shelf drinker. ‘Have you seen that bloke who reads the news on Tyne Tees? Jesus, what a fucking turps nudger.’.

bash the turps (v.) (also hit the turps)

(Aus.) to drink (heavily).

1945		Baker Aus. Lang. 168: Australians have a fair selection of terms to describe drinking and drinking bouts, such as a beer-up, booze-up [...] and to bash the turps.
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 145: It was plain bad for his line of business to hit the turps.
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 268: You sound ratshit, Murray [...] Hit the turps at the big event, did you?

on the turps

drinking (heavily).

1929		North West Champion (Moree, NSW) 12 Sept 5/4: One of the men on Abrahamsen’s lorry in the procession was on the ‘turps.’ Judging by his satisfied look, he found it rather palatable, too.
1968		J. O’Grady Gone Troppo (1969) 10: We been on the turps for five days.
1986		R. Beckett Dinkum Aussie Dict. 18: Dero: A derelict or down-and-outer who is also probably on the ‘turps’ or ‘meths.’.
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 116/1: turps any alcohol; on the turps on a drinking bout.
2001		(con. 1945–6) P. Doyle Devil’s Jump (2008) 176: The Blighter was on the turps the whole time. He always had a bottle of spirits in his room.
2002		R.G. Barrett Mystery Bay Blues 185: ‘My God,’ she said, smelling Warrebn’s beath. ‘How long have you two been on the turps?’.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].