coasting

— Glory be to God, all sublunary coastings will soon be over. Yet a little while, and we shall get into an eternal harbour.

— Avanti West Coast has introduced the use of coasting with its Pendolino fleet, in an effort to keep disruption during overhead line equipment failures to a minimum. [...] The Class 390s coasted for three miles without power between Harrow & Wealdstone and Wembley Central, running under damaged OLE.

— Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations often used to result in a hangover, but with moderation now the order of the day the new drinks industry buzzword is "coasting". This involves choosing a white wine, lager or even a cocktail that is about half the strength of the traditional version — meaning you can have the same number of drinks without feeling the worse for wear. Vanessa Pearson, Ocado Retail's trading manager for beers, wines and spirits, credits "coasting" for a "huge increase in customer interest in mid-strength wine". In 2025 its sales of these types of wines soared 4,000% as the new category gained ground. "Mid-strength" drinks occupy the middle ground between no and low-alcohol (nolo) and standard options, and such beers and ciders are about 2-3% alcohol by volume, wines 3-9% and spirits 15-20%. The advent of coasting chimes with data showing Britons are drinking less alcohol than before. The average UK adult consumed 10.2 alcoholic drinks a week in 2024, according to the latest figures from the drinks industry data company IWSR. This is the lowest figure since data collection began in 1990 and down from a high of 14 weekly drinks two decades ago. However, total abstention is not on the rise despite the decline in consumption, which suggests more cautious drinking habits.