last chance saloon

English

WOTD – 23 July 2022

Etymology

Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon (sense 1) in Oakland, California, USA. Established on the waterfront in 1883, the current name of the saloon refers to the time when it was the first chance for many sailors to drink alcohol after a voyage, and also the last chance for them to do so before leaving on a voyage.

Said to be from the name of a former type of bar or saloon in the United States in the 19th century that offered customers the final opportunity to drink alcohol before passing into an area where alcohol was prohibited or scarce.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌlɑːs(t) tʃɑːns səˈluːn/, /ˌlæs(t) tʃæns-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌlæs(t) ˌtʃæns səˈlun/, /ˈlæs(t)-/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːn
• Hyphenation: last chance sa‧loon

Noun

last chance saloon

1. (chiefly Western US, historical) A saloon located at the end of a road or the outskirts of a town. [from late 19th c.]
2. (chiefly British, figuratively) A place that one is said to inhabit when facing an imminent disaster with diminishing or limited remaining opportunities to avoid it; a last chance to take action. [from mid 20th c.]

   Unless we find a million pounds by Monday, the company will go bust. We really are in the last chance saloon.

Translations

saloon located at the end of a road or the outskirts of a town

place that one is figuratively said to inhabit when facing an imminent disaster with diminishing or limited remaining opportunities to avoid it; a last chance to take action

See also

• drink in the last chance saloon

Further reading

• Last Chance Saloon on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “last chance saloon, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2019.
• “last chance saloon, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.