grog [M18th] This word for alcoholic drink is said to be from Old Grog, the reputed nickname (given to him because of his grogram cloak) of Admiral Vernon (1684–1757): in 1740 he first ordered diluted rum to be served out to sailors instead of the traditional neat rum. Grogram [M16th] was a heavy fabric which got its name from French gros grain ‘coarse grain’, also found in the name of the lighter silk fabric grosgrain [M19th].