Safety Cap's Journal: English Language Question

Saw this in the word a day post for the week:

If you give someone something to eat, you feed him.
If you give someone something to drink, you ____ him.

What's the correct word?

The two best suggestions around the office were "quench" and "hydrate."

Any ideas?

For a baby...

[dagg]

The mother is feeding her baby some milk. When I give my cats water, I say I'm watering them :-). "Have you watered the cats yet? Yes". "Have you fed the baby yet? No".

Re:For a baby...

[Cy Guy]

Well, if you are going to narraw it to that specific circumstance, you might as go a little farther and narrow to limit it just to breastfeeding in which case the proper verb is nurse.

If you give someone something to eat, you feed him.
If you give someone (a baby) something (breatmilk) to drink, you nurse him.

For restaurant settings there is a jargon word for giving a table fluid refreshment to bev as in "Bev table 12 for me, and I'll bus table 20."

If you need a more generic term, then I can't think of o

I've got it

[heliocentric]

If you give someone something to eat, you feed him.
If you give someone something to drink, you annoy him.
You seem to be caring too much for him, let him do something for himself, darnit.

Re:I've got it

[Safety Cap]

I laughed when I read what you wrote. Now there's soda up my nose.

Thanks! :P

Don't know the answer..but..

[ufleegirl]

All I know is that quench isn't the right word. You quench one's hunger or thirst. You can't quench a person, far as I know. I would say hydrate's a much better option.

Re:Don't know the answer..but..

[Safety Cap]

I'm not sure I like hydrate because it sounds like I'm shoving water [m-w.com] down the poor person's throat.

What if I'm bringing him (or her) a beer? :)

Re:Don't know the answer..but..

[heliocentric]

Well, earlier you were feeding that person, so apparently they can't put the food in their mouth on their own. Why should you expect they posses the ability to swallow? I think if you're going to "feed" them if they can't feed themselves then you should force water down their gullet.

I know...

[Xerithane]

You inebriate them.

Ok, bad joke... :)