Tap vs. Chaser: What's the Difference?
By Aimie Carlson & Harlon Moss || Updated on May 24, 2024
Tap refers to a device for controlling the flow of liquid, typically water, from a pipe, while chaser is a drink consumed after a shot of alcohol to mitigate its strong taste.
Key Differences
Tap refers to a device that controls the release of liquids, usually water, from a pipe. It is commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms, providing an easy way to access water. Chaser, on the other hand, is a beverage consumed immediately after a stronger alcoholic drink to lessen its intensity. This practice is common in bars and social drinking scenarios.
A tap allows precise control over the flow and temperature of water, making it an essential household fixture. Chasers, however, serve a different purpose by helping to counteract the strong taste of spirits, often enhancing the drinking experience.
While a tap can be turned on or off to manage water flow, a chaser is typically consumed quickly after a shot of alcohol. This sequence helps to reduce the burning sensation associated with high-proof liquors.
In various cultures, taps are integral to daily routines, facilitating hygiene and food preparation. Chasers are more associated with social events and nightlife, providing a smoother drinking experience.
Taps are durable fixtures that require installation and maintenance, whereas chasers are temporary and varied, including soft drinks, juices, or even another type of alcohol.
ADVERTISEMENT
Using a tap involves a manual operation to release or stop water, ensuring it meets the user's needs. Conversely, choosing a chaser is more about personal preference and taste compatibility with the initial drink.
Taps are available in various designs and technologies, from basic models to touchless, sensor-based versions. Chasers range from simple water or soda to complex cocktails designed to complement specific spirits.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Device controlling water flow from a pipe
Drink consumed after alcohol to reduce taste
Usage
Daily hygiene, cooking, cleaning
Social drinking, enhancing alcohol experience
Operation
Manual or sensor-based control
Consumed immediately after a shot
ADVERTISEMENT
Context
Household, bathrooms, kitchens
Bars, parties, social gatherings
Types
Various designs and technologies
Soft drinks, juices, additional alcohol
Tap and Chaser Definitions
Tap
A valve for regulating fluid.
He replaced the faulty tap in the garden.
Chaser
Drink mitigating the taste of spirits.
She always has a soda as a chaser.
Tap
Source of water supply.
They installed a new tap outside the house.
Chaser
Follow-up drink to an initial shot.
Tequila with a lime chaser is popular.
Tap
Device for dispensing beverages.
The bartender pulled beer from the tap.
Chaser
Complementary beverage post-shot.
He preferred juice as a chaser.
Tap
To strike gently with a light blow or blows
I tapped you on the shoulder to get your attention.
Chaser
Enhancing drink experience.
The bartender suggested a chaser to go with the rum.
Tap
To give a light rap with
Tap a pencil.
Chaser
One that chases or pursues another
A chaser of criminals.
Tap
To produce with a succession of light blows
Tap out a rhythm.
Chaser
A drink, as of beer or water, taken after hard liquor.
Tap
To select, as for membership in an organization; designate.
Chaser
One who decorates metal by engraving or embossing.
Tap
To repair (shoe heels or toes) by applying a thin layer of leather or a substitute material.
Chaser
A steel tool for cutting or finishing screw threads.
Tap
To attach metal plates to (shoe toes or heels).
Chaser
A person or thing (ship, plane, car, etc.) that chases.
Tap
To deliver a gentle, light blow or blows.
Chaser
(archaic) A hunter.
Tap
To walk making light clicks.
Chaser
A horse: (originally) a horse used for hunting; (now) a horse trained for steeplechasing, a steeplechaser.
Tap
To tap-dance.
Chaser
A drink drunk after another of a different kind.
Beer chaser
Straight, no chaser
Tap
To furnish with a spigot or tap.
Chaser
Someone who follows logs out of the forest in order to signal a yarder engineer to stop them if they become fouled also called a frogger.
Tap
To pierce in order to draw off liquid
Tap a maple tree.
Chaser
(logging) One who unhooks chokers from the logs at the landing.
Tap
To draw (liquid) from a vessel or container
Tap a new keg of beer.
Chaser
A piece of music, etc. played after a performance while the audience leaves.
Tap
(Medicine) To withdraw fluid from (a body cavity).
Chaser
One of a series of adjacent light bulbs that cycle on and off to give the illusion of movement.
Tap
To make a physical connection with or open outlets from
Tap a water main.
Chaser
A long piece of flexible wire used to draw an electrical cable through a wall cavity.
Tap
To wiretap (a telephone or communications channel).
Chaser
Synonym of prison chaser
Tap
To establish an electric connection in (a power line), as to divert current secretly.
Chaser
(slang) A person who seeks out sexual partners with a particular quality:
Tap
To establish access to or a connection with
Tapped a new market for inexpensive books.
Chaser
(slang) A tranny chaser.
Tap
To take advantage of; make use of
Tapped voter anger to win the election.
Chaser
(slang) A chubby chaser.
Tap
To cut screw threads in (a collar, socket, or other fitting).
Chaser
(slang) A person who seeks partners with HIV in order to become infected.
Tap
(Informal) To ask (a person) for money.
Chaser
In the sport of Quidditch or Muggle quidditch, a player responsible for passing the quaffle and scoring goals with it.
Tap
A gentle blow.
Chaser
Any dragonfly of family Libellulidae.
Tap
The sound made by such a blow.
Chaser
Someone who chases decorates metal; a person who decorates metal by engraving or embossing.
Tap
A thin layer of leather or a substitute applied to a worn-down shoe heel or toe.
Chaser
A tool used for cleaning out screw threads, either as an integral part of a tap or die to remove waste material produced by the cutting tool, or as a separate tool to repair damaged threads.
Tap
A metal plate attached to the toe or heel of a shoe, as for tap-dancing.
Chaser
(nautical) A chase gun.
Bow chaser; stern chaser
Tap
Tap dance.
Chaser
One who or that which chases; a pursuer; a driver; a hunter.
Tap
(Linguistics) See flap.
Chaser
Same as Chase gun, esp. in terms bow chaser and stern chaser. See under Bow, Stern.
Tap
A valve and spout used to regulate delivery of a fluid at the end of a pipe.
Chaser
One who chases or engraves. See 5th Chase, and Enchase.
Tap
A plug for a bunghole; a spigot.
Chaser
A tool with several points, used for cutting or finishing screw threads, either external or internal, on work revolving in a lathe.
Tap
Liquor drawn from a spigot.
Chaser
A person who is pursuing and trying to overtake or capture;
Always before he had been able to outwit his pursuers
Tap
Liquor of a particular brew, cask, or quality.
Chaser
A drink to follow immediately after another drink
Tap
(Medicine) The removal of fluid from a body cavity
A spinal tap.
Chaser
Beverage consumed after strong alcohol.
He ordered a beer chaser after his whiskey.
Tap
A tool for cutting an internal screw thread.
Tap
A makeshift terminal in an electric circuit.
Tap
A wiretap.
Tap
A tapering cylindrical pin or peg used to stop the vent in a cask.
Tap
A device used to dispense liquids.
We don't have bottled water; you'll have to get it from the tap.
Tap
Liquor drawn through a tap; hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor.
A liquor of the same tap
Tap
A place where liquor is drawn for drinking.
Tap
(mechanics) A device used to cut an internal screw thread. (External screw threads are cut with a die.)
We drilled a hole and then cut the threads with the proper tap to match the valve's thread.
Tap
A connection made to an electrical or fluid conductor without breaking it.
The system was barely keeping pressure due to all of the ill-advised taps along its length.
Tap
An interception of communication by authority.
Tap
A device used to listen in secretly on telephone calls.
Tap
A procedure that removes fluid from a body cavity.
Abdominal tap
Pleural tap
Spinal tap
Tap
(finance) The situation where a borrowing government authority issues bonds over a period of time, usually at a fixed price, with volumes sold on a particular day dependent on market conditions.
Tap issue; a bond tap
Tap
A gentle or slight blow; a light rap; a pat.
When Steve felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned around.
Tap
(dance) tap dance
Tap
The act of touching a touch screen.
Tap
A piece of leather fastened upon the bottom of a boot or shoe in repairing or renewing the sole or heel.
Tap
(military) A signal, by drum or trumpet, for extinguishing all lights in soldiers' quarters and retiring to bed; usually given about a quarter of an hour after tattoo.
Tap
(phonetics) A consonant sound made by a single muscle contraction, such as the sound [
Tap
An Indian malarial fever.
Tap
To furnish with taps.
If we tap the maple trees, we can get maple syrup!
Tap
To draw off liquid from a vessel.
He tapped a new barrel of beer.
Tap
To deplete, especially of a liquid via a tap; to tap out.
Tap
To exploit.
Businesses are trying to tap the youth market.
Tap
To place a listening or recording device on a telephone or wired connection.
They can't tap the phone without a warrant.
Tap
To intercept a communication without authority.
He was known to tap cable television.
Tap
(mechanical) To cut an internal screw thread.
Tap an M3 thread all the way through the hole.
Tap
To turn or flip a card or playing piece to remind players that it has already been used that turn (by analogy to "tapping," in the sense of drawing on to the point of temporary exhaustion, the resources or abilities represented by the card).
Tap
(informal) To cadge, borrow or beg.
I tried to tap a cigarette off him, but he wouldn't give me one.
Tap
To drain off fluid by paracentesis.
Tap
To advance someone for a post or job, or for membership of a club.
Trump interviewed Mueller for FBI job day before he was tapped for special counsel.
Tap
To strike lightly.
She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.
Tap
To touch one's finger, foot, or other body parts on a surface (usually) repeatedly.
He was so nervous he began to tap his fingers on the table.
She tapped her companion on the back to indicate that she was ready to go.
Lydia tapped Jim on the shoulder to get his attention.
Tap
To make a sharp noise.
The tree, swaying in the breeze, began to tap on the window pane.
Tap
(graphical user interface) To operate an electronic device (e.g. a mobile phone) by tapping a specific place on its (capacitive or other) touch screen.
Tap
To designate for some duty or for membership, as in 'a tap on the shoulder'.
Tap
To have sexual intercourse with.
I would tap that hot girl over there.
I'd tap that.
Tap
(combat sports) To submit to an opponent by tapping one's hand repeatedly.
Tap
To force (an opponent) to submit.
Tap
To put a new sole or heel on.
To tap shoes
Tap
To strike with a slight or gentle blow; to touch gently; to rap lightly; to pat; as, to tap one with the hand or a cane.
Tap
To put a new sole or heel on; as, to tap shoes.
Tap
To strike a gentle blow.
Tap
To pierce so as to let out, or draw off, a fluid; as, to tap a cask, a tree, a tumor, a keg of beer, etc.
Tap
Hence, to draw resources from (a reservoir) in any analogous way; as, to tap someone's knowledge of the Unix system; to tap the treasury.
Tap
To draw, or cause to flow, by piercing.
He has been tapping his liquors.
Tap
To form an internal screw in (anything) by means of a tool called a tap; as, to tap a nut, a pipe, or tubing.
Tap
To connect a listening device to (a telephone or telegraph line) secretly, for the purpose of hearing private conversations; also, to obtain or record (information) by tapping; - a technique used by law enforcement agencies investigating suspected criminals. In the United States it is illegal without a court order permitting it.
Tap
A gentle or slight blow; a light rap; a pat.
Tap
A piece of leather fastened upon the bottom of a boot or shoe in repairing or renewing the sole or heel.
Tap
A signal, by drum or trumpet, for extinguishing all lights in soldiers' quarters and retiring to bed, - usually given about a quarter of an hour after tattoo.
Tap
A hole or pipe through which liquor is drawn.
Tap
A plug or spile for stopping a hole pierced in a cask, or the like; a faucet.
Tap
Liquor drawn through a tap; hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor; as, a liquor of the same tap.
Tap
A place where liquor is drawn for drinking; a taproom; a bar.
Tap
A tool for forming an internal screw, as in a nut, consisting of a hardened steel male screw grooved longitudinally so as to have cutting edges.
Tap
The sound made by a gentle blow
Tap
A faucet for drawing water from a pipe or cask
Tap
A gentle blow
Tap
A small metal plate that attaches to the toe or heel of a shoe (as in tap dancing)
Tap
A tool for cutting female (internal) screw threads
Tap
A plug for a bunghole in a cask
Tap
The act of tapping a telephone or telegraph line to get information
Tap
A light touch or stroke
Tap
Cut a female screw thread with a tap
Tap
Draw from or dip into to get something;
Tap one's memory
Tap a source of money
Tap
Strike lightly;
He tapped me on the shoulder
Tap
Draw from; make good use of;
We must exploit the resources we are given wisely
Tap
Tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information;
The FBI was tapping the phone line of the suspected spy
Is this hotel room bugged?
Tap
Furnish with a tap or spout, so as to be able to draw liquid from it;
Tap a cask of wine
Tap
Make light, repeated taps on a surface;
He was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently
Tap
Walk with a tapping sound
Tap
Dance and make rhythmic clicking sounds by means of metal plates nailed to the sole of the dance shoes;
Glover tapdances better than anybody
Tap
Draw (liquor) from a tap;
Tap beer in a bar
Tap
Pierce in order to draw a liquid from;
Tap a maple tree for its syrup
Tap a keg of beer
Tap
Make a solicitation or entreaty for something; request urgently or persistently;
Henry IV solicited the Pope for a divorce
My neighbor keeps soliciting money for different charities
Tap
Device controlling liquid flow from a pipe.
She turned the tap to wash her hands.
Tap
Water outlet fixture in kitchens and bathrooms.
The kitchen tap was leaking.
FAQs
What is a chaser?
A drink consumed after a shot of alcohol to mitigate its strong taste.
Do taps require maintenance?
Yes, regular maintenance is needed to prevent leaks and ensure proper function.
How does a tap function?
By manually or sensor-based control to release or stop water flow.
What is a tap?
A device that controls the flow of liquid from a pipe.
What types of drinks can be chasers?
Soft drinks, juices, water, or even another type of alcohol.
Are taps only for water?
Primarily for water, but they can also dispense other beverages.
Are there different designs of taps?
Yes, from basic to advanced sensor-based designs.
Where are taps commonly found?
In kitchens and bathrooms.
Can a chaser be alcoholic?
Yes, sometimes another type of alcohol is used as a chaser.
Why do people use chasers?
To reduce the burning sensation and enhance the drinking experience.
Can taps dispense hot and cold water?
Yes, many taps are designed to mix hot and cold water.
Is using a chaser a cultural practice?
Yes, it is common in social drinking cultures.
Can a tap be used outdoors?
Yes, taps are often installed in gardens and outdoor spaces.
Is it necessary to use a chaser?
Not necessary, but preferred by many for taste reasons.
Is it common to use water as a chaser?
Yes, water is a simple and effective chaser.
What materials are taps made of?
Usually metal, such as stainless steel or brass.
Do taps come with different features?
Yes, such as filtration systems or touchless operation.
Can a chaser improve the taste of a drink?
It can make the experience more palatable and enjoyable.
What’s a popular non-alcoholic chaser?
Soda or juice is commonly used.
Do different cultures have unique chasers?
Yes, the choice of chasers can vary widely by culture and preference.
About Author
Written by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
Co-written by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
