Boston meaning
tonic
A carbonated soft drink in older Boston-area usage.
Uses your device’s built-in voice. Pronunciation is approximate because available voices and boston pronunciation vary.
Meaning
In older Boston and eastern New England speech, tonic can mean soda or a carbonated soft drink generally. The regional meaning is less common among younger speakers than it once was, but it remains culturally recognizable.
Pronunciation and grammar
/ˈtɑːnɪk/ · noun
Traditional and increasingly age-marked Boston-area vocabulary.
How it is used
A speaker might ask what kind of tonic is available and mean cola, orange soda, or another soft drink. Context separates this sense from tonic water used in mixed drinks.
Examples
Local: What kind of tonic do you have?
Plain English: What kind of soda do you have?
Local: They kept bottles of tonic in the cellar.
Plain English: They kept bottles of soft drink in the cellar.
Important context
Many present-day listeners will understand tonic as tonic water, not soda generally. The broader local sense depends on speaker, generation, and context.