two-four \'too-for\ n - A commercially packaged box of 24 beer bottles. The name is sometimes applied to a packaged flat of 24 beer cans. "We took a couple a' two-fours up t' the camp for the weekend." In the mid-1990s, steadily rising prices rendered the two-four unattainable for all but the most affluent Countyers. Beer producers reacted by selling cans and bottles in less expensive packages of 8 or 16. The relatively recent proliferation of "Agency Stores" (N.B. Liquor Commission approved vendors, typically established in convenience stores located in outlying communities) has contributed to the two-four's rarity, through their practice of stocking only the smaller, cheaper packages. Now available only through NBLC retail stores, the two-four may soon go the way of the uniquely Canadian "stubby" bottle, as the popularity of "Agency Stores" compels the government to privatize further. See also: case, flat. NEXT»

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