have (a lot of) bottle

To have the will to act boldly; to have a lot of nerve. Primarily heard in UK. Wow, that intern has a lot of bottle, asking for a raise on her first day! I didn't think you had the bottle to ask Mom for money when you already know she's in a bad mood. That girl sure has a lot of bottle, pushing her way to the front of the line like that!

have (or show) a lot of bottle

have (or show) boldness or initiative. British informal

The mid 19th-century slang phrase no bottle , meaning ‘no good or useless’, is the probable origin of bottle 's current sense of ‘courage or nerve’. Nowadays we also find the expressions lose your bottle meaning ‘lose your nerve’ and bottle out meaning ‘fail to do something as a result of losing your nerve’.

have, show, etc. (a lot of) bottle

(British English, informal) have, show, etc. (a lot of) courage or confidence: Carol went in and told the boss he wasn’t doing his job properly. She’s certainly got a lot of bottle! ♢ The match was very tough and United just didn’t have the bottle for it.