Cheers - Where Friends Meet!

Why Do We Say 'Cheers' When We Clink Glasses?

Q: Why do we say "cheers" when we clink glasses? The word cheer comes from the Latin word for face or countenance and originally referred to any facial expression, cheerful or otherwise. Over time, though, it came to mean gladness and was first recorded as a shout of encouragement or support in 1720. As a toast, "cheers" is an early 20th-century newcomer. As to why we tap glasses together, a few compelling theories have made the rounds. In one, early Europeans believed that the sound of clashing tankards would scare away evil spirits. A more recent notion suggests an appreciation among revelers for all five senses: sight, taste, smell, and, with the clinking, sound and touch. But the most provocative theory of all -- and one that's much-debated -- is attached to an ancient fear that an enemy might try to poison a drink. To prove that a drink was safe, a host would pour some of his guest's wine into his own drinking vessel and drink it first. This evolved into crashing tankards together so that a little of each drink spilled into the other. Eventually, guests and hosts demonstrated their friendship (and their trust) by touching glasses.