drunk tank
C1Informal, colloquial
Definition
Meaning
A police cell or temporary holding facility specifically for people arrested for public intoxication.
Any informal holding area for intoxicated individuals to sober up; can be used metaphorically for any unpleasant, cramped, or disorderly situation resembling such a facility.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term is predominantly used in law enforcement and journalistic contexts. It often carries connotations of unpleasantness, chaos, and temporary detention.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
More common in American English but understood in British English. The UK equivalent is often "police cell for drunks" or the informal "drunk cell".
Connotations
In both varieties, it implies a noisy, unclean, and transient holding area.
Frequency
Higher frequency in American media and colloquial speech. Less institutionalised as a formal term in the UK.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject/Police] + put/throw + [Object/Person] + in/into the drunk tank[Subject/Person] + end up in the drunk tank[Subject/Person] + be released from the drunk tankVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A night in the drunk tank (an unpleasant, chaotic experience)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Not applicable.
Academic
Rare; might appear in sociological or criminological studies on policing and public intoxication.
Everyday
Used in informal conversation, especially when recounting stories of someone's arrest or a wild night out.
Technical
Used in police and law enforcement jargon to refer to a specific type of holding facility.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- After the fight, the police took him to the drunk tank.
- She had to spend the night in a drunk tank.
- The city's new policy aims to reduce the number of people ending up in the drunk tank by offering outreach services.
- He woke up with a headache, regretting the decisions that landed him in the drunk tank.
- The documentary exposed the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions of the county's primary drunk tank.
- Critics argue that the drunk tank is merely a punitive measure that fails to address the underlying issues of addiction.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a noisy, smelly army TANK filled not with soldiers, but with DRUNK people being held overnight.
Conceptual Metaphor
INTOXICATION IS CONTAINMENT / A DISORDERLY STATE IS A CONTAINER.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calques like "пьяный танк". The correct translation is "вытрезвитель" or more descriptively, "камера для задержанных в состоянии алкогольного опьянения".
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a verb (e.g., "He got drunk tanked"). It is strictly a compound noun.
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary function of a 'drunk tank'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is an informal, colloquial term used by police, journalists, and the public. Formal documents might use terms like 'sobering cell' or 'detoxification holding facility'.
Yes, it can be used humorously or critically to describe any chaotic, crowded, or unpleasant temporary situation. For example, 'The airport lounge felt like a drunk tank after the flight cancellations.'
Typically, yes. A drunk tank is designed as a single, often large, holding area for multiple intoxicated individuals to sober up safely, usually for less than 24 hours. A regular jail cell is for longer-term detention of individuals charged with crimes.
No. Many larger city stations or central processing facilities have them, but smaller towns may not have a dedicated space and will use a standard holding cell.