To clink glasses

The action to clink glasses is the fact of entrechoquer its glass to that of a person with whom one is on the point of drinking. The word to clink glasses comes from German trinken , who wants to say to drink . Some clink glasses at the time to formulate a wish, a wish or an engagement. One can also invite this practice to carry a toast . It is a very old tradition dating from the Moyen-âge, even older according to some. The superstition wants that one looks at the person with whom one clinks glasses in the eyes.

This practice exists in almost all the countries of the world. Certain people are sometimes even being wary towards that which did not respect the tradition, behavior which can be explained by the origin of this practice.

In Europe, one generally clinks glasses with alcohol glass (beer, wine, cider, vodka, etc), however one can make in the same way with nonalcoholic glass. In the Moslem countries, a practice of this type is very current when one drinks the or the coffee.

Origin

With the the Middle Ages, poisoning was a relatively current practice at the time of the banquets between competitor, noble lords and other notable. Certain robbers also made use of Poison S to kill and conceal the fortune of easy people.

To avoid these " désagréments" , the practice was taken by the Masters of the places to pour an minor amount of their drink in glass of their interlocutors and reciprocally. Each one was to then drink a first mouthful by looking at the other in the eyes. In this manner each one proved that it did not have a bad intention. Thereafter, one was simply satisfied to knock glasses (filled to the brim) so that a little liquid is exchanged between glasses. It is besides this double knocking of glass which would be at the origin of the expression Tchin! Tchin! .

It will be noticed that nowadays, that which does not clink glasses becomes suddenly suspect to want to deviate from the group. Symbolically, he refuses the division. As would have perhaps done it one of its ancestors of the Middle Ages while abstaining from mixing its beverage with that, poisons, of its guests.

Another possible origin

Some dispute the origin described above and defend the idea that the fact of clinking glasses is simply a means of using all our direction at the time to drink with a friend. Indeed, when one drinks, one calls upon four of our directions, the sight by looking at glass, it to touch by holding glass, the sense of smell by feeling glass and finally the taste by drinking glass. The fact of clinking glasses quite simply enables us to make work our fifth direction: hearing.

Quotations

" By examining tempting the virago more attentively, it seemed to me vaguely that I admitted it to have seen it clinking glasses with some funny of my connaissance." Charles Baudelaire, Poems prose, 1867, p. 104.

" I was annoyed not to clink glasses together before my departure, more especially as I had given you the day before a rather pitiful idea of me, while not drinking and by not eating pas."

Gustave Flaubert, Correspondence, 1841, p. 86.

Proverbs

a sailor dies at sea only if you do not look in the eyes the person with whom you clink glasses.
does not look in its eyes at the time to clink glasses, and it you will follow from there 7 years of sexual misfortunes…
Trinque with glass of water and you will attract only bad luck.

Health! in all the languages…

References

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