h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Where do you buy your booze, that is beer wine or spirits. I grew up in Birmingham and we always called it the outdoors but here in the south of England it is the off-license. The locals also refer to "indoors",anything at home. This sounds unusal to me being a brummie reminds me of Arthur Daily.

It was always the offie up North too. Just a Midlands thing you've got there.

B

We call it the offie down here as well... I'm in the South East.

Yeah, although I've lived in Brum for 8 years (on and off) I still can't get used to 'the outdoors' thing.

When Mum and Dad ran their pub, it was called "The Outdoor", Off License and "Offy"

I would have thought "Off-license" comes from government regulations, I seem to remember a pub that had a small "Off-license" counter years ago, you simply walked in and took your bottles away from pub. I think the name implies that you are not allowed to drink the alchohol bought in an "Off-license" on a pub premisis, could be wrong though. Presumeably "Off-license" is short for off pub premises license at a guess.

No it's to do with the fact that the alcohol bought there must be drunk off the premises.
This sort of license being much cheaper than one where alcohol can be consumed on the premises.

Although I haven't heard it for years (I'm in Bristol) my mum used to refer to the offie as the "outdoor-licence" so presumably this too comes from the old buying of "takeouts" from the pub. Seem to remember that the prices were cheaper than "drink in".

As for referring to home as "indoors" - nah, around here it's "ar 'ouse"

But it's not just pubs that have an 'on' license. Hotels and restaurants also have them.