Etymology Probably imitative of the sound of drinking eagerly; or from Old French gouziller, gosillier (“to pass through the throat”), from gosier (“throat”), and akin to Italian gozzo (“throat; a bird's crop”). First attested in 1576.
1
Informal To drink or eat quickly, voraciously, or to excess; to gulp down; to swallow greedily, continually, or with gusto.
No more her care shall fill the hollow tray, / To fat the guzzling hogs with floods of whey.1720, John Gay, “Friday; or, the Dirge”, in Poems on Several Occasions:
They had a delightful meal, eating as much as possible, for whenever they stopped eating the Puddin" sang out-- "Eat away, chew away, munch and bolt and guzzle, Never leave the table till you're full up to the muzzle."1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 22:
2 more examples
What do you get when you guzzle down sweets, / Eating as much as an elephant eats?1971, Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley, “Oompa Loompa, Doompa-Dee-Do”, in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory:
It is Boxing Day in a football ground, and all we can do is sprawl over the plastic, hurling instructions and vague encouragement. The seat is an extension of the sofa, the match another Pick of the Day in the Radio Times. Some are wearing Santa hats, some have been drinking only six or seven hours after last stopping, guzzling away, topping up their levels to reach pie-eyed delirium.2016, Daniel Gray, Saturday, 3pm: 50 Eternal Delights of Modern Football:
2
Dated, Informal To consume alcoholic beverages, especially frequently or habitually.
A comparison more properly bestowed on those that came to guzzle in his wine cellar.1649, John Milton, Eikonoklastes:
Well-seasoned bowls the gossip's spirits raise, Who, while she guzzles, chats the doctor's praise.1684, Roscommon, Essay on Translated Verse:
1 more example
Every theatre had it's footman's gallery: […] they guzzled, devoured, debauched, cheated, played cards, bullied visitors for vails: […]1859, William Makepeace Thackeray, The Virginians:
3
Broadly, Informal To consume anything quickly, greedily, or to excess, as if with insatiable thirst; often said of gas-powered vehicles.
This car just guzzles petrol.
2004, Mike Rigby, quoted in The Freefoam Roofline Report, https://web.archive.org/web/20160313225853/http://michaelrigbyassociates.com/pages/research/quarterly/readreport35166.htm China continues full steam ahead and the Americans continue to guzzle fuel, while supply becomes restricted.
Etymology Probably imitative of the sound of drinking eagerly; or from Old French gouziller, gosillier (“to pass through the throat”), from gosier (“throat”), and akin to Italian gozzo (“throat; a bird's crop”). First attested in 1576.