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1[[quoteright:350:[[Series/TrueDetective https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/true_detective_2.png]]]]
2[[caption-width-right:350: Whatever gets you through the day.]]
3
4A character ingests intoxicants — usually, but not always, alcohol from a hip flask — casually, without interrupting whatever else he's doing, without commenting on it, and sometimes without drawing comment from other characters.
5
6This versatile bit of business turns up in both comedy and drama and, depending on context, can say any number of things about a character. It may be used to portray him as [[TheAlcoholic pathetically dependent]]; or, conversely, to establish him as a low-grade badass, ImmuneToDrugs; or, if it's not habitual, to [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness emphasize]] that he's under [[INeedAFreakingDrink unusual stress]]. Or the focus may be on the other characters' lack of reaction: they know this guy so well, they're used to it.
7
8In ''Blacksmith Scene'', the first film ever, the characters share a beer before getting back to work, making this OlderThanTelevision.
9
10Contrast BottledHeroicResolve. May be prone to declaring "NoMoreForMe" on seeing something too weird to handle. See also DrinkingOnDuty.
11
12----
13!!Examples:
14[[foldercontrol]]
15
16[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
17* In the second season of ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'', perhaps because she's become freelance, [[HardDrinkingPartyGirl April]] has replaced her former can of beer with a more quickly accessible drink from a hip flask. Hei also is shown drinking from a hip flask, although in his case, it seems to indicate that he's become an alcoholic, another manifestation, along with WildHair and PermaStubble that he's gone through a lot since the TimeSkip.
18* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': Dot Pixis' tendency to regularly reach for his pocket flask during important conversations is one of his {{Character Tic}}s, and one of those little quirks that make him the BunnyEarsLawyer that he is.
19[[/folder]]
20
21[[folder:Comic Books]]
22* [[ComicBook/ElongatedMan Ralph Dibny]] slowly descends into alcoholism and madness in ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' as he tries to revive his murdered wife Sue. Throughout the series he takes quick nips from a hip flask. [[spoiler:It's all an act to fool Felix Faust. The flask is actually filled with ''Gingold'', the extract that grants Dibny his stretching powers.]]
23[[/folder]]
24
25[[folder:Fanfiction]]
26* "Fanfic/TheOnlyWayToGo": Eleya and Tia share a drink of springwine from a hip flask over the grave of Tia's wife after the funeral.
27[[/folder]]
28
29[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
30* In ''Film/{{Charade}}'', when Bartholomew is introduced, he is rubbing dry-cleaning solution into his tie as he talks to Reggie. When he finishes, he gives the rag a quick sniff, stuffs it in his pocket, and keeps talking as though nothing had happened. [[spoiler:[[{{Foreshadowing}} In retrospect]], she should've known he was no good.]]
31* Clive Owen's character from the movie ''Film/ChildrenOfMen'' has a small bottle of whiskey that he keeps on his person. He stands on the street and dumps a slug of it into his coffee before going to work, and no one seems to notice.
32* ''Film/DaylightsEnd'': Ethan is seen taking sips from a flask a few times.
33* Sky Captain (played by Jude Law) from ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'' (2004). In a subversion, he's actually drinking Milk of Magnesia for his stomach ulcer.
34* Travis Bickle in ''Film/TaxiDriver''.
35* Jayne takes a drink like this at least once in ''Film/{{Serenity}}''.
36** This is after he uses whatever booze was in the flask to disinfect a gnarly harpoon wound in his leg.
37* In ''Film/{{Unforgiven}}'', William Munny takes a drink of whiskey just before going in to fight the assembled lawmen in the saloon. This was probably to demonstrate a return to the lawbreaking ways he followed before marrying his late wife, who had convinced him to give up alcohol.
38* The second thing Eddie Valiant does after his first appearance in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' is take a swig of Wild Turkey. He acts as though it's a case of INeedAFreakingDrink (he does it after disgustedly muttering "Toons" under his breath), but the film is quick to establish that he is in fact TheAlcoholic.
39* In ''Film/ReignOfFire'', Van Zan has one of these that he carries around and drinks from for most of the movie. It's subverted near the end when he gives the protagonist a drink.
40-->"Hey, this is just water!"
41* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}''. After they're thrown out of their university laboratory, Peter Venkman tries to sell Ray Stanz on the idea of going into business for themselves. While talking, both of them take a drink out of a bottle of whiskey.
42* The dance instructor in ''Film/ShallWeDance2004'' takes sips from a flask during classes as a sign she considers the numbskulls she is teaching to dance something she needs a shot of whiskey to get through. Eventually the class grows better at dancing and become friends and she has a moment where she goes to take a sip, shrugs, and puts it away untouched.
43* The Comedian drinks from a flask at least once during the ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'' movie adaptation. It is commented on in this case; another character suggests that maybe there should be a rule about drinking at meetings. The Comedian just laughs.
44* In ''Film/EmpireRecords'', Corey occasionally pops a pill when under stress, which turn out to be [[spoiler: speed, hence her ability to stay up studying and making cupcakes and so on]]. However, later in the film Gina confronts her over it.
45* One of the passengers -a cook- in ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}'' as the ship goes down does this as he and the protagonists hang on for dear life on the upturned bow of the ship. Considering his position, it'd probably be his last chance to do so. As it happens, this cook was a real man, Charles Joughin, who did survive the sinking, despite being in the freezing water for two hours or so. Some have suggested that the alcohol he drank kept him alive, but this claim is in doubt (given that one effect of alcohol consumption is an ''increased'' risk of hypothermia).
46* In Cheech and Chong's ''Film/UpInSmoke'', during their trial for possession, Man is severely messed up, due to trying to eat the evidence. Despite the judge's protests, Pedro goes up to get him a glass of water from her pitcher. Man takes a swig, then spits it out, and says, "It's fucking ''vodka''!"
47* Toyed with in ''Film/BackToTheFuture1''. Before asking Lorraine to the dance, George [=McFly=] orders, "Lou... give me a milk. Chocolate." He takes one swig, then goes to try his luck.
48* The main character in ''Film/TheBadLieutenantPortOfCallNewOrleans'' does this all the time. In one scene, he pauses from interviewing a suspect to light up a joint...with almost his entire squad sitting on the other side of a closed door.
49* Mr Gibbs swigs from a leather flask in the opening scene of ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'' as the ship he is on nervously negotiates an eerie fog.
50* Happens at the Montauk restaurant in ''Film/EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind''. Joel watches Clem spiking her coffee with spirit from a flask she brought with.
51* Champagne from ''Film/KingsmanTheGoldenCircle'' is constantly sampling alcohol and tobacco. Unlike other examples of this trope, however, he doesn't actually swallow anything (mostly just sniffs and the occasional swish) and keeps a spittoon next to his chair.
52* Jack Caldwell, the sports director of Camp North Pines in ''Film/SummerCampNightmare'', is an alcoholic who is seen taking quick nips even during times when he should be watching over the children for their safety.
53* ''Film/ShandraTheJungleGirl'': After the expedition finds the body of his brother Antonio, Diego is constantly seen taking swigs from a hip flask.
54* ''Film/TheButchers'': When Auntie May and Daisy are left alone in the diner, Auntie May pulls a flask out of her VictoriasSecretCompartment and takes a swig from it. She then offers it to daisy, who, after a few moments of hesitation, decides that the circumstances warrant it and also takes a swig.
55* In ''Film/WhenEvilCalls'', the Janitor pours a shot of whiskey into his tea mug and drinks it without interrupting his narrative.
56* in ''Film/FortyFive'', Big Al is an [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]] who carries a hip flask that he is constantly pulling from.
57* In ''Film/{{Antebellum}}'', Captain Jasper carries a hip flask and is often showing taking a quick pull from it before doing something unpleasant, such as riding down a runaway slave and shooting her.
58* Early in ''Film/SandsOfTheKalahari'', washed-up engineer Mike Bain is often seen taking a quick shot from a hip flask. Being stranded in the desert forces him to go cold turkey.
59* In ''Film/DeadRingers,'' all three of the central characters pop pills at various points in the narrative. Of particular note is a scene of one of the brothers, as he waits for an elevator, coolly and systematically dipping into an almost comically long series of prescription bottles he keeps in his pockets.
60* ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'': Riff Raff pours a glass of champagne for Frank, takes a swig from the bottle, then casually drops the now-nearly-empty bottle. No-one else seems to notice or comment. (As he is the butler this also counts as DrinkingOnDuty.) Then again, while alcohol is the only substance Riff uses onscreen, judging by certain song lyrics it's the ''least'' of his addiction issues.
61[[/folder]]
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63[[folder:Literature]]
64* Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series is well known for drinking only from a flask ([[FrothyMugsOfWater of juice, mind]]) he carries at his hip. This is a result of Moody's paranoia and fear of attack resulting from a long, enemy-gaining career as an Auror. (In ''Goblet of Fire'' [[spoiler: Barty Crouch Jr. used this quirk of Moody's to full advantage, filling the flask with the potion that allowed him to assume Moody's appearance and drinking it once an hour to maintain the effects]].) They neglect to mention the motivation behind always drinking from a flask in the movie version, making him look like an insane alcoholic instead.
65* In Mike Carey's ''The Devil You Know'', this is how the [[spoiler:murderer is found]].
66* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'''s [[CoolOldLady Nanny Ogg]] keeps her hipflask hidden away in [[strike:Trouser]][[TrouserSpace Knicker Space]].
67* In Joe Abercrombie's ''Literature/BestServedCold'', Nicomo Cosca, an alcoholic, tries for a long time to do this [[spoiler: and later does once he becomes Captain General of the Thousand Swords again.]]
68* [[TheAlcoholic Bruno]] from ''Literature/StrangersOnATrain'' carries a hip flask. One of the first things he does when he meets Guy is to offer him a drink.
69* ''Literature/TressOfTheEmeraldSea'': Captain Crow is mentioned to take a drink from her hip flask in the middle of whatever else she's doing essentially every time she shows up. However, it's not alcohol that she's drinking but water, which she needs to replace what the aether parasite is leaching from her.
70[[/folder]]
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72[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
73* InSpace in ''Series/{{Andor}}'' where Mosk is shown taking a swig from his space flask as he waits on a rooftop in ambush in "Reckoning".
74* Mrs. Slocombe of ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'' often sips from a hip flask behind the counter.
75* A frequent habit of Colonel Tigh in ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003''. [[DrinkingOnDuty Even while on duty]].
76* On ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', Rajesh takes a nip from a flask. When the others notice, he explains that it's cough syrup (he was nursing a cold at the time), which he finds just as effective as liquor.
77* On ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'', [[CorruptCorporateExecutive 80s businessmen parodies]] John and Peter are perpetually discussing some kind of unspecified crisis in their boardroom, shouting, swearing, cursing their ArchEnemy Marjorie... and drinking. They refill their glasses over and over in a five-minute sketch; they slam them dramatically onto hard surfaces; they [[MilkingTheGiantCow make huge gestures]] that result in liquid flung across the room (which probably explains some of the refilling); once, John says a line that ends with wordless liquid burbling because he decided to take a sip while he was still talking. [[FakeFood Lucky it was actually tea in those glasses]], or Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie would be long dead from sheer alcohol overdose.
78* Spike occasionally does this on ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''.
79* ''Series/TheColbertReport'': Stephen Colbert does so in [[http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/341482/july-28-2010/republican-gubernatorial-primary-battle-watch--010---tennessee this segment]] (towards the end).
80* Mason, a Reaper from ''Series/DeadLikeMe'', carried a hipflask with alcohol, except during that time when he actually was off the drugs and booze. (He got [[OffTheWagon back on the booze]] at the start of the second season after he had to reap a family father during the man's daughter's birthday party, but tried to keep it a secret from the others.)
81* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E3PlanetOfTheOod "Planet of the Ood"]], Klineman Halpen keeps taking quick nips, which ''is'' commented on by others. He explains that it's "hair tonic". [[spoiler:He believes it's [[NeverTrustAHairTonic hair tonic]], but instead it [[KarmicTransformation turns him into]] an Ood, one of the very aliens he had enslaved.]]
82* ''Series/FatherBrown'': In "The Scales of Justice", Bunty's barrister quicks taking nip from a hip flask while conducting her defense, until Mrs [=McCarthy=] confiscates it from.
83* ''Series/GLOW2017'': Sam Sylvia often needs his little encouragement before starting the work day from a mini-bottle of Vodka or a quick bump of cocaine. After a disasterous day, Debbie also decides to take snort a bit before a match with Ruth, which ends with an OnSetInjury when she pulls Ruth's leg too hard into a lock.
84* In an episode of ''Series/GoodEats'' that was about meat pie (and parodied ''Theatre/SweeneyTodd'' of all things!), "Mrs. Lovett" asks for "a quick nip" from a flask produced by Alton. He hands it to her, and she takes a swig...only to spit it out. [[spoiler: It turns out the substance in the flask is Worcestershire sauce.]]
85* When [[spoiler:Cindy]] comes back from Washington in the tenth episode of ''Series/GoodGirlsRevolt'', she smiles in the taxi and takes a nip from a little bottle of liquor she has in her handbag, indicating her DescentIntoAddiction.
86* ''Series/GossipGirl'': Chuck Bass frequently does this, on occasion with flasks.
87* ''Series/{{House}}'' has been known to pop Vicodin while diagnosing patients. Justified by it being prescription medication for chronic pain that he needs to take at somewhat regular intervals.
88* Throughout several seasons of ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', Nathan Ford is battling alcoholism, or an active alcoholic. As such, whenever he casually pulls out a glass of liquor, none of the team comments, except for those occaisons where he goes too far in his plotting, or when they know that he is trying to stop drinking.
89* In ''Series/{{Life on Mars|2006}}'' Gene Hunt keeps alcohol in his office and regularly drinks from a hip flask. Lampshaded when [[spoiler:he gets shot and pulls a dented flask from his coat to demonstrate [[PocketProtector why he's unhurt]]; a relieved Sam asks rhetorically, "What are the chances?" and Gene replies, "Pretty good, actually," as he pulls out several more flasks]].
90* Whenever Hawkeye Pierce of ''Series/{{MASH}}'' isn't up to his elbows in somebody's gut (or using both hands to carry out this episode's ZanyScheme), there's a fifty percent chance that he's carrying around a Martini Glass.
91* In the ChristmasSpecial of ''Series/TheGoesWrongShow'', Robert (as Santa) has a glass of sherry, before deciding he needs "just another nip." Several nips later, IntoxicationEnsues. Even he admits "that's a few too many nips."
92* In ''Los Simuladores''[='=] Mexican remake (a show about people who make a living pulling {{Batman Gambit}}s to help people), Maximo Santana once cleverly posed as an antiacid guzzler in order to leave the place by faking a terrible reflux once he runs out of "antiacid".
93* Oliver does this in the first episode of ''Series/SlingsAndArrows''.
94* Dean Winchester from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' in "Houses of the Holy" and through most of season 7.
95-->'''Sam:''' Really? From a freaking flask? What are you, ''Film/BadSanta''? [[DrinkingOnDuty On the job?]]\
96'''Dean:''' We're always on the job.
97** Dean has Bobby Singer's hip flask as a TragicKeepsake, which turns out to be a ChekhovsGun.
98* A [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] in an episode of ''Series/VeronicaMars'' features a poker game where one of the players periodically takes a swig from a bottle of Jack Daniels he keeps with him. Later in the same episode, Veronica (a very small blonde teenager, and the ex-girlfriend of the player in question) grabs the bottle and takes a long draw, much to the shock of everybody present. She then remarks on his [[CantHoldHisLiquor abysmally low alcohol tolerance]], and explains that the bottle contains tea.
99* ''Series/TheWire'': Jimmy [=McNulty=] has a fraught relationship with alcohol from the start, but in season five when he [[spoiler:decides to start faking crime scenes to make it look like the deaths are the work of a SerialKiller]], his descent is signalled by him going to his squad car to take a sip of whiskey first.
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102[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
103* ODB is known to struggle as hard for another sip from her flask as she is for another pin fall attempt against her opponents, especially in Wrestling/{{TNA}}.
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106[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
107* In ''TabletopGame/FengShui'', the iconic Renegade Cop character was a hard drinker who was kicked off the force. He was found drinking himself to death in a gutter, but was recruited into the heroic Dragons and given purpose to rebuild his life. He was notable for his hip flask that he would still take a swig from even in a gunfight with zombies from the future. [[spoiler: After his death, a friend found his hip flask and tried to take a drink from it, only to find it was filled with water, and had been for a long time.]]
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110[[folder:Theatre]]
111* In William Gilette's ''Theatre/SherlockHolmes'' play, Holmes, while talking to Watson (in fact, finishing up a SherlockScan), produces a syringe, fills it with his beloved seven percent solution of cocaine and injects it into his left arm. As in "The Sign of the Four", Watson eventually grows embarrassed enough about Holmes's habit to ask about it, and Holmes suggests to Watson that he try it himself.
112* Dr. Einstein in ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace'' is constantly reaching for his hip flask.
113* At the top of Act Two of ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'', Mrs. Teavee -- who has previously admitted that dealing with her EnfantTerrible son Mike requires her to "pour a shot of '[[UnusualEuphemism Mommy Water]]'" for herself each day -- pulls a hip flask from her purse as he runs amok amongst the other members of the Golden Ticket tour group to attempt this. But Willy Wonka notices and tells her that there's to be no alcohol on the tour; she tells him that the flask contains [[BadLiar "homemade lemonade"]]. After sampling it, he gives the flask back to her and says "You must give me the recipe!"
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116[[folder:Video Games]]
117* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'':
118** Detective Jake Marshall regularly takes swigs from his hip-flask to punctuate his speech.
119** Godot and his coffee don't really seem to apply to this trope, at least until [[spoiler: you learn exactly ''why'' he drinks so much.]]
120* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': Auron, although [[spoiler:being dead, it probably doesn't have an effect on him.]]
121* ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'': Edward Roivas starts with a flask of "liquid courage" in his inventory; quick nips [[SanityMeter raise his sanity]].
122* In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'', Officer Boles is seen taking a nip from a flask as Joker is taken to his cell. This turns out to be important a short time later, as Batman uses the alcohol in his breath to track him [[spoiler:for being TheMole for Joker in Arkham Asylum's security.]]
123* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', the scout and his crit-o/Bonk cola seems to be like this. While it is important, he only takes a quick second to drink it. The demoman will also do this with his bottle, and some other things like a frying pan, so you wonder if he really just gets drunk by breathing.
124** Or he might just already be so [[DrunkenMaster staggeringly drunk]] that he thinks he's drinking from a bottle, not a frying pan.
125* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' has the ''Classic Pack/ Courier's Stash'' DLC item, the Vault 13 canteen. While in the player's inventory, the Courier will take periodic swigs from it. Possibly subverted, because it contains plain-old water, which, in Hardcore mode, helps slow down the effects of dehydration. While helpful it's not enough to survive alone as it works on a 5 minute timer to give 15 hit points and reduce dehydration by 25 points.
126* Oghren, the party berserker from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', has, as his special equip item, "One for the ditch" - a canteen filled with a liquid that, per the description, smells foul - as does Oghren, on occasion.
127* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III'' has this as the IdleAnimation for the Human Footman unit. And anyone who shares it's animation set, most notably, [[NumberTwo Captain Falric]]. Most notably, in-engine cutscenes do not [[GoingThroughTheMotions disable idle animations]], so sooner or later he's going to end up deciding to take a quick swig in the middle of an otherwise dramatic moment.
128* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' and those pills he uses as BottledHeroicResolve, which by the third and so far final installment in the trilogy have [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome become a career-ruining substance abuse problem]] along with the alcohol he uses to self-medicate for PTSD.
129[[/folder]]
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131[[folder:Webcomics]]
132* No matter what he's doing, as long as he's in a semi-private place (like ''his office''), Sanderson of ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'' is always, ''always'' seen with whiskey in his hand. Davan can sometimes be seen with a hip flask, which he once left unattended for several months, leading to his roommate, father, and foster sister accidentally mixing him a GargleBlaster.
133* Subverted in ''Webcomic/ThreePanelSoul''. Ian gets a hip flask [[http://www.threepanelsoul.com/comic/on-accessories just to fill it with Tic-Tacs]].
134* Faye in ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'' does this when she's heading into full-blown alcoholism. It's when her boss and friend Dora catches her doing it at work that she fires Faye on the spot, sending Faye into a spiral of binge-drinking that lands her in hospital. [[spoiler: Faye never drinks again (except for falling off the wagon for one evening), and her life soon starts to turn around for the better.]]
135* ''{{Webcomic/Unsounded}}'': The old woman selling prayer figures in Knobbytop has a flask she drinks from between talking to customers and while moving her cart.
136* Wizard from ''Webcomic/BeachWZRD'' keeps a magically self-refilling bottle of wine, which she will frequently pop in and out of her [[BagOfHolding hat]] for a quick nip… or a longer one. Basically she drinks all day and then practices magic while intoxicated.
137[[/folder]]
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139[[folder:Web Video]]
140* In ''WebVideo/RedLetterMedia'''s "Best of the Worst: Future War, The Jar, and White Fire" has Mike Stoklasa take not-so-quick nips from a giant novelty flask. In one of the outtakes he drinks far too much, collapses, and trips out on booze.
141[[/folder]]
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143[[folder:Western Animation]]
144* On ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'', Captain K'nuckles regularly takes swigs from a flask of maple syrup -- and then shudders like he [[GRatedDrug just took a shot of whiskey]]. And then there was the time he chugged the whole flask and fell down the stairs.
145* In ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', Brian Griffin seems to keep his hip flask handy at all times.
146* In "Larry and Steve," Creator/SethMacFarlane's ''WesternAnimation/WhatACartoonShow'' short which served as a prototype for ''Family Guy'', an airplane pilot who strongly resembles Glenn Quagmire in both appearance and voice lets a young boy take over piloting his plane while he goes to "take a wee nip of the creature."
147* ''[[WesternAnimation/HellboyAnimated Hellboy: Blood and Iron]]'': A cornered vampire hunter reaches for a hip flask. The vampire snidely asks if [[INeedAFreakingDrink he needs something to calm his nerves in his last hours]]. [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope He then throws its contents]] - [[HolyHandGrenade Holy Water]] -- [[ItBurns in her face]]]].
148* In ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', Hank Hill once took a shot of ''beer'' during a stressful time at work. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that he sells [[InsistentTerminology propane and propane accessories]], and probably shouldn't be intoxicated at work.
149* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': Rick always has a flask in his pockets, and sips from it constantly. No one even bothers to comment, since they're all used to it.
150[[/folder]]
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