yard of ale

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

yard of ale noun

1. the beer or ale contained in a narrow horn-shaped drinking glass, usually about one yard long and holding between two and three pints
2. such a drinking glass itself

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

yard-of-ale  (yärd′əv āl′), n. 

1. Wine a trumpet-shaped glass about 3 ft. (1 m) long with a bulb at the closed end, for serving ale or beer.
2. Wine the amount contained in such a glass. Also called aleyard, yard. 

• 1885–90