Meaning of bottle it | Babel Free

Definitions

1. To suppress an action or expression, especially when due to lack of courage.
   Cockney, UK, informal, slang
2. To lose one's nerve.
   Cockney, UK, informal, slang
3. To run away, especially when due to lack of courage.
   Cockney, UK, informal, slang
4. To fail in an embarrassing way in a crucial situation, especially due to nerves.
   Cockney, UK, especially, informal, slang

Examples

“For a while, it was a three-horse race and, if anything, it looked like José Mourinho's Chelsea were the team to beat. Chelsea bottled it, Liverpool beat Manchester City and the title was theirs to lose ... which they did in that match against Chelsea.”

“If you want to win Wimbledon, you have to be controlled mentally, but he's too volatile. He's just not a level-headed guy out there. He's had many chances and he's always bottled it.”

CEFR level