For the courage of the night before and the misery of the morning after.
Dazed or weak, historically specifically from the effects of being under the influence of grog.
An endearing term for the wobbliness that follows a maritime amount of rum.
“Though he had long since sobered up, the long night left him feeling entirely groggy.”
Deriving from grog, the diluted rum ration served to the Royal Navy, it entered regional parlance to describe that shaky, unsteady feeling.
To be rendered dull, stupid, or stupefied by excessive drinking.
A marvelous way to remind yourself that your current confusion is a deliberate, liquid choice.
“The besotted reveler couldn't find his own hat, let alone the door.”
Formed from the prefix be- and the verb sot, meaning a fool; it has been in use since the 16th century to describe the muddled state of the inebriated.
Confused, muddled, or intoxicated to the point of losing one's clarity of thought.
It sounds exactly like the gentle descent into a comfortable lack of focus.
“After a long afternoon of cider, he sat in the armchair, entirely fuddled and quite content.”
Emerging in the 17th century, the word suggests a state of being bemused or muddied, often implying a state of happy, harmless incompetence.
Confused, bewildered, or utterly addled by the consumption of alcohol.
A word that sounds exactly like the feeling of having had one too many.
“The poor fellow stumbled out into the square looking entirely betwattled after the wedding feast.”
A delightful 17th-century formation derived from the older sense of being entangled or baffled, implying a state of mental disarray.
fustyadjective · 16th century Applied to someone who is offensively drunk or smelling of stale, sour liquor.
It carries the distinct, unmistakable aroma of a pub carpet that has seen better decades.
“Keep your distance, for he has been fusty in the tavern all afternoon.”
Used since the 16th century, it stems from the Old French fust, meaning a cask, linking the state of the man to the dregs of the barrel.
Describing a person who is so drunk that they are liable to topple over.
A marvelous bit of maritime engineering applied to the unsteady gait of the intoxicated.
“The sailor was so top-heavy after his shore leave that he required two men to help him aboard.”
Emerging in the 17th century as a nautical metaphor, it describes a vessel or person whose center of gravity is dangerously unstable.
The unpleasant physical and mental effects experienced after drinking too much alcohol.
The sad sequel to a night of dubious delight.
“After the revels of last night, I woke up with a dreadful afterdram.”
Literally 'after the drama' or performance, this term captures the lingering unpleasantness of a drunken bout.
A state of stupefaction or confusion, often brought on by drink.
When your head feels like a rattling sieve.
“He was in a complete headshak after downing the entire bottle.”
Likely an onomatopoeic or descriptive term, possibly related to the dizzying sensation of a severe hangover. Recorded in dialect dictionaries.
The state of being affected by alcohol, typically referring to the lingering grogginess and discomfort.
The foggy consequence of too much tippling.
“The booziness of the morning after made coherent thought impossible.”
Derived from the word 'booze', which itself has uncertain origins but gained currency in the 19th century to mean strong drink or to drink heavily.
The condition or state of being drunk.
A vintage word for a timeless condition.
“His prolonged druncenesse was a cause for great concern among his family.”
This is the Middle English form of the word 'drunkenness', directly attested in texts from that period.
A state of sickness or headache caused by excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages.
It sounds like a refined malady for a gentleman who has had one too many sherries.
“He spent the entire morning in a dark room nursing a truly debilitating crapula.”
Borrowed from Latin, ultimately from the Greek krapale, appearing in English contexts by the mid-17th century.
foxedadjective · 18th century Being in a state of drunkenness or experiencing the messy aftereffects of a heavy night.
A sly, bushy-tailed way to describe the fuzzy-headed result of last night's indulgence.
“She felt rather foxed after the wedding reception and decided to skip the morning meeting.”
Commonly used in the 18th century to describe being drunk or confused; recorded in Grose's dictionary.
boskyadjective · 16th century Formerly used in dialect to describe someone who is tipsy or suffering the dizzying effects of drink.
It manages to sound suspiciously like a forest, fitting for a head full of thick fog.
“Having stayed out far too late, he awoke feeling remarkably bosky.”
Derived from the French bosq, though its secondary meaning relating to drunkenness is a distinct English shift.
Being in a state of drunkenness or showing the lingering, shaky signs of a recent bender.
A delightfully intellectual word for a state that is almost entirely lacking in grace.
“He appeared at the breakfast table in a distinctly temulent state, unable to face his coffee.”
Derived from the Latin temulentus; it was favored by 17th-century writers as a more scholarly insult.
Sick, headachy and repentant after too much drink.
A hangover in its Sunday best.
“He arrived crapulous, wearing yesterday's shirt.”
18th century, from Latin crapula, 'intoxication'; entered Johnson's Dictionary in 1755.
To drink to excess; also the muddled state that follows.
Drink with a built-in apology.
“One more glass and he'd be thoroughly fuddled.”
16th century, of uncertain origin; in Johnson's Dictionary (1755).
Brave only because of drink.
Courage on loan, at interest.
“Pot-valiant and slurring, he challenged the whole bar.”
17th century; from pot + valiant.