Male Enhancer Dept: How much is in a "tot"?

[Capn Jimbo]

Have you fallen prey to rum speak, namely "tot" or "dram"?


We all have. And none of us have really earned the right, as did the sailors of the British Navy. But since we will continue to do so anyway, why not at least understand your own bragadocia...

Here goes...

Three "wets" (a tiny, tiny sip) equalled 1 sip,
3 sips equalled one gulp,
and 3 gulps equalled one tot.

Now to "dram"...

A dram was less an amount than the way it was served. A dram refers to a rum poured "neat", aka a "neater".

Neat, eh? Thanks to Pussers, the only real and authentic British Navy Rum...

[Capn Jimbo]

Cut the crap, Capn!


"But..." you say, "...sip, schmips, gulps, cut the crap, Capn, and tell us how much really is in a tot?". Fair enough, for although I know you enjoy my digressions, you also like simple, monkey-ready factoids.

A "tot" is one-half of an Imperial Gill. What's that? You don't know what a "gill" is? Fine. A gill is 5 Imperial ounces, thus a "tot" is 2-1/2 Imperial ounces. What's that? You don't know what an "Imperial" ounce is? Geez, already!

OK, let's do this in English, er American units.... a US "gill" is 4.8 US fluid ounces, and a "tot" is 2.4 US fluid ounces. Now let's convert the British Navy speak...

Three "wets" (a tiny, tiny sip) equalled 1 sip,
3 sips equalled one gulp,
and 3 gulps equalled one tot.

A Monkey-Approved explanation...

If one "tot" equals three "gulps", then a "gulp" is 8/10 ounce, and a "wet" (which the sailors thought a "light sip") was 1/4 ounce. Let's put it this way - a "wet" or light sip would finish off a one ounce dram in just four sips, and a "gulp" was the historical equivalent of tossing back nearly a shot.