drunk tank

IPA/ˈdrʌŋk tæŋk/
IPA/ˈdrʌŋk tæŋk/

drunk tank — noun

1. a secure room at a police station or local jail where the authorities place peop

1.名詞B2
釋義

a secure room at a police station or local jail where the authorities place people who have drunk too much alcohol until they become sober

例句

After the festival, the police took Anong to the drunk tank to sleep it off.

collocation: 'sleep it off' with drunk tank

After New Year's Eve, the drunk tank was full of people who drank too much.

passive: 'the drunk tank was full'

同義詞
  • holding cell

    more general term for any temporary police detention room, not specific to intoxication

  • lockup

    informal term for any small jail cell; broader in usage

  • detention cell

    formal term; can refer to any secured holding room in a police station

文法句型

the drunk tank

in a/the drunk tank

throw someone in the drunk tank

用法筆記

Commonly appears with the definite article ('the drunk tank') and prepositions 'in' or 'into' ('thrown in the drunk tank'). The term is specific to North American English; British English prefers 'police cell' or 'detention cell' for the same concept.

常見錯誤

The police put him in the drunk tank for questioning.
The police put him in the drunk tank to sober up.
💡a drunk tank is for holding intoxicated people until they are sober, not for interrogating suspects.