Toast of the Town
What does raising a toast (raising a glass of drink in honor of someone or something) have anything to do with a piece of heated bread? Well, apparently, once upon a time, people used to put a piece of toast on the bottom of their wine glass because it helped soak up the residue, like a sort of filter.
The piece of toast on the bottom of the glass also made the wine less acidic, and it made it taste better. So today, naturally, when you want to tell people at a social gathering to raise their glass, you invite them to raise a toast instead. Nope – even after we understood the connection between the wine and the toast, it still doesn’t make much sense.