Yesterday we ran a quiz titled"Monty Python Phrase or Ben Franklin Synonym for Drunk?“The quiz referred to Franklin ’s extended list of expressions meaning " intoxicated " that he first publish in thePennsylvania Gazetteon January 6 , 1737 .
AHe is Addled , He ’s casting up his Accounts , He ’s Afflicted , He ’s in his Airs .
BHe ’s Biggy , Bewitch’d , Block and Block , Boozy , Bowz’d , Been at Barbadoes , Piss’d in the Brook , Drunk as a Wheel - Barrow , Burdock’d , Buskey , Buzzey , Has Stole a Manchet out of the Brewer ’s Basket , His Head is full of Bees , Has been in the Bibbing Plot , Has drank more than he has bled , He ’s Bungey , As Drunk as a Beggar , He see the Bears , He ’s kiss’d black Betty , He ’s had a thud over the Head with Sampson ’s Jawbone , He ’s Bridgey .
CHe ’s Cat , Cagrin’d , open , Cramp’d , Cherubimical , Cherry Merry , Wamble Crop’d , Crack’d , Concern’d , Half Way to Concord , Has taken a Chirriping - Glass , Got Corns in his Head , A Cup to much , Coguy , Copey , He ’s warmth his Copper , He ’s Crocus , Catch’d , He trim back his Capers , He ’s been in the Cellar , He ’s in his Cups , Non Compos , Cock’d , Curv’d , Cut , Chipper , Chickery , Loaded his go-cart , He ’s been too spare with the Creature , Sir Richard has take off his Considering Cap , He ’s Chap - fallen ,
DHe ’s Disguiz’d , He ’s got a sweetheart , Kill’d his Dog , Took his driblet , It is a Dark Day with him , He ’s a Dead Man , Has Dipp’d his Bill , He ’s Dagg’d , He ’s go steady the Devil ,
EHe ’s Prince Eugene , Enter’d , Wet both Eyes , Cock Ey’d , Got the Pole Evil , experience a brass Eye , Made an Example , He ’s Eat a Toad & half for Breakfast . In his Element ,
FHe ’s Fishey , Fox’d , Fuddled , Sore Footed , Frozen , Well in for’t , owe no Man a Farthing , Fears no Man , Crump Footed , Been to France , Flush’d , Froze his Mouth , Fetter’d , Been to a Funeral , His Flag is out , Fuzl’d , Spoke with his Friend , Been at an Amerind Feast .
GHe ’s Glad , Groatable , Au - manoeuvre , Glaiz’d , Generous , Booz’d the Gage , As Dizzy as a Goose , Been before George , have the Gout , Had a Kick in the gut , Been with Sir John Goa , Been at Geneva , Globular , Got the Glanders .
HHalf and Half , intrepid , Top Heavy , Got by the Head , Hiddey , Got on his footling Hat , Hammerish , Loose in the hilt , Knows not the way Home , Got the Hornson , Haunted with malevolent Spirits , Has engage Hippocrates grand philosopher’s stone ,
IHe ’s Intoxicated , Jolly , Jagg’d , Jambled , Going to Jerusalem , Jocular , Been to Jerico , Juicy .
KHe ’s a King , Clips the King ’s English , Seen the Gallic King , The King is his Cousin , Got Kib’d Heels , Knapt , Het his boiler .
LHe ’s in Liquor , Lordly , He makes Indentures with his Leggs , Well to Live , Light , Lappy , Limber ,
MHe sees two Moons , Merry , Middling , Moon - Ey’d , Muddled , Seen a Flock of Moons , Maudlin , Mountous , Muddy , Rais’d his Monuments , Mellow ,
NHe ’s eat the Cocoa Nut , Nimptopsical , beget the Night Mare ,
OHe ’s Oil’d , Eat Opium , Smelt of an Onion , Oxycrocium , Overset ,
PHe tope till he gave up his Half - centime , Pidgeon Ey’d , Pungey , Priddy , As ripe conditioned as a Puppy , Has scalt his Head Pan , Been among the Philistines , In his successfulness , He ’s been among the Philippians , He ’s contend with Pharaoh , Wasted his Paunch , He ’s Polite , Eat a Pudding Bagg ,
QHe ’s Quarrelsome ,
RHe ’s Rocky , Raddled , Rich , Religious , lose his Rudder , Ragged , Rais’d , Been too free with Sir Richard , Like a Rat in Trouble .
SHe ’s Stitch’d , Seafaring , In the Sudds , Strong , Been in the Sun , As Drunk as David ’s Sow , Swampt , His peel is full , He ’s Steady , He ’s Stiff , He ’s cauterize his Shoulder , He ’s got his Top Gallant Sails out , Seen the yellow Star , As Stiff as a Ring - bolt , Half Seas over , His Shoe pinches him , Staggerish , It is Star - brightness with him , He carries too much Sail , Stew’dStubb’d , Soak’d , Soft , Been too free with Sir John Strawberry , He ’s right before the Wind with all his Studding Sails out , Has Sold his Senses .
THe ’s Top’d , Tongue - ty’d , Tann’d , Tipium Grove , Double Tongu’d , Topsy Turvey , Tipsey , Has Swallow’d a Tavern Token , He ’s Thaw’d , He ’s in a Trance , He ’s Trammel’d ,
VHe defecate Virginia Fence , Valiant , Got the Indian Vapours ,
WThe Malt is above the weewee , He ’s Wise , He ’s Wet , He ’s been to the Salt Water , He ’s Water - soaken , He ’s very Weary , Out of the Way .
A note from Mr. Franklin:“The Phrases in this Dictionary are not ( like most of our Terms of Art ) borrow’d from Foreign Languages , neither are they collected from the Writings of the Learned in our own , but gather’d wholly from the modern Tavern - Conversation of Tiplers . I do not doubt but that there are many more in use ; and I was even tempted to bestow a newfangled one my self under the Letter B , to wit , Brutify’d : But upon Consideration , I fear’d being guilty of Injustice to the Brute Creation , if I lay out Drunkenness as a beastly Vice , since , ' tis well - roll in the hay , that the Brutes are in worldwide a very sober sort of People . "
[ Thanks toHistoryCarper.comfor their Ben Franklin archives . ]
