Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - bottle

~1 n 1 »CONTAINER« a container with a narrow top for keeping liquids in, usually made of plastic or glass  (Give the bottle a shake before you open it.) + of  (a bottle of champagne) 2 »AMOUNT OF LIQUID« also bottleful the amount of liquid that a bottle contains  (Between us, we drank three bottles of wine.) 3 »MILK« milk given to babies or young animals in a bottle rather than from their mother's breast  (my first baby just wouldn't take a bottle at all.) 4 »COURAGE« BrE informal courage to do something that is dangerous or unpleasant  (I never thought she'd have the bottle to do it!) 5 hit the bottle/take to the bottle to start drinking a lot of alcohol regularly, in order to forget your problems 6 be on the bottle to always be drinking a lot of alcohol 7 bring a bottle BrE bring your own bottle AmE used to describe a party to which you must bring your own alcoholic drink ~2 v 1 to put a liquid, especially wine or beer, into a bottle after you have made it  (The wine is bottled at the vineyard.) 2 to put vegetables or fruit into special glass containers in order to preserve them bottle out ~ phr v BrE informal to suddenly decide not to do something because you are frightened  ("Did you tell him?" "No, I bottled out at the last minute.") bottle sth up ~ phr v to deliberately not allow yourself to show a strong feeling or emotion  (It is far better to cry than to bottle up your feelings.)