Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also bevali) alcohol, esp. beer; thus bevvy-ken, a beer-house, a public house; on the bevvy, a drinking session.

1844		New Sprees of London 17: [H]e piped some pals with long mugs and nix of bevay, doing the doleful in suicide ward.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 57: Ve vas in a swanky ken, flashing the broads, nix of bevey an nanty denarly.
1889–90		Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant I 110/1: Bevy or bevali (common), beer; abbreviation of beverage.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 173/1: Mange, letty, bevy and clobber. Italian – through the organ-grinders’ lodging-houses. Eating, bed, drink, clothes – this last word being Hebrew.
1925		(con. WWI) Fraser & Gibbons Soldier and Sailor Words 22: Bevvy: Beer. Any drink. (Beverage).
1960		K. Amis Take Girl like You 87: Din-din. The old scoff. Bevvy too.
1966		(con. 1954) J. McGrath Events While Guarding the Bofors Gun II i: They’re on the bevvy, mate.
1971		N. Smith Gumshoe (1998) 74: You can’t go out on the bevvy when you are stoked up on librium and valium.
1982		A. Bleasdale ‘George’s last Ride’ Boys from the Blackstuff [TV script] (1985) 270: Where’s my bevvy, then eh?
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak 24: Bevvyken – a public house or wine bar.
1996		A. Close Official and Doubtful 51: And yer lemon. As long as she brings some bevvy.
2000		Guardian 28 Jan. 32: Doner with extra chilli [...] after a night on the bevvy.
2009		L. McIlvanney All the Colours 188: The bevvy flowed.
2012		(con. 1980s) I. Welsh Skagboys 8: There’s plenty bevvy oan the bus but naebody’s allowed tae touch it.
2013		T. Black Ringer [ebook] n.p.: Punters paying twenty sheets a night to get into his club and fuck knows how much more to get themselves tanked-up on his watered-doon bevy.
2019		P. Baker Fabulosa 289/1: bevvy, beverada, bevie, bevois 1. a drink (especially beer). 2. a public house. Also bevvied (to be drunk).
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 442: ‘She loves her bevvy’.

2. a drink.

1934		P. Allingham Cheapjack 18: They invited me to have a ‘bevvy’ with them and ordered me a drink.
1958		C. Lee diary 29 July in Eight Bells & Top Masts (2001) 147: A couple of swift bevvies and he’ll have every bloody car in bloody Wollongong stacked, oop in’t heap.
1958		(con. 1940s) B. Behan Borstal Boy 284: I thought it was into his house for a bevy he was gone.
1962		R. Cook Crust on its Uppers 23: We nipped smartly off for a bevvy.
1971		N. Smith Gumshoe (1998) 23: No sooner did he have a bevvy and a bird lined up, than the boss of the place stuck a wad of notes in his hand.
1980		T. Lewis GBH 87: ‘We’ll be going to the South [i.e. a hotel] for a bevy’.
1980		J. McClure Spike Island (1981) 62: Christ, how many bevvies ’ad you ’ad that time?
1983		(con. 1940s) D. Nobbs Second From Last in the Sack Race 92: I’m just slipping out t’ Navigation for a bevvy.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.
1999		Guardian Sport 16 Apr. 16: That Bill spent all night buying the lot of us bevvies.
2000		N. Griffiths Grits 132: Ut ul ahl calm down soon, after a few murr bevvies in the pub.
2003		(ref. to 1950s–60s) Baker & Stanley Hello Sailor! 83: Someone said, ‘What are we having for a bevvy tonight, girl?’ because we’d have a cocktail before we went to the bar.
2007		L. Redhead Cherry Pie [ebook] Everyone but the dishpigs repaired to the bar for knock off bevvies.

3. a (drunken) party.

1966

T. Keyes All Night Stand 24: It sounded like a good bevvy.