half cut
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more half cut
form: most half cut
form: half-cut
Etymology: Originally jocular derivative of now rare use of cut in this sense, which dates from the 17th century, from cut in the leg, to have cut your leg, euphemism for being very drunk.
Senses: examples: text: He had the girl's head on his shoulder but she was half cut and in her seventh heaven, so he just went on talking to me, proud of his English, you see.
ref: 1974, John Le Carré, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Folio, published 2009, page 233:
text: Drink up thy zider, drink up thy zider, For tonight we'll merry be. We'll knock the milk churns over and roll 'em in the clover, for the corn's half cut and so be we!
ref: 1975 July 24, “Drink Up Thy Zider” (track 6), in The Finest 'Arvest of The Wurzels, performed by The Wurzels:
text: Lucie Miller always loved Christmas back home in Blackpool. Her Mum running a still-frozen turkey under the hot tap at ten. Great-Grandma Miller half-cut on cooking sherry by eleven. Her Dad and her uncle arguing hammer and tongs about who was the best James Bond all through dinner.
ref: 2009, Death in Blackpool (The New Eighth Doctor Adventures; 4.01), Big Finish, publisher's summary:
text: You think: "That old fella's woken up still half-cut and put on his girlfriend's shoes by mistake."
ref: 2010 January 9, Alexis Petridis, “Ugg boots for men? No thanks”, in The Guardian:
ref: 2019 May 19, Shane Ross, “Mowing half-cut: Impaired driving laws not limited to just cars”, in CBC:
synonyms: word: Adrian Quist
word: adrip
word: aled up
word: all mops and brooms
word: arseholed
word: a sheet in the wind
word: a sheet in the wind's eye
word: bedrunken
word: befuddled
word: beliquored
word: besotted
word: besotten
word: bevvied
word: bibacious
word: bibulous
word: binned
word: bingoed
word: bladdered
word: blasted
word: blewed
word: blind
word: blind drunk
word: blitzed
word: blocked
word: blootered
word: blottoed
word: blue
word: bollocksed
word: bombed
word: boozy
word: bosky
word: bottled
word: Brahms
word: Brahms and Liszt
word: budgy
word: bungalowed
word: bungfu
word: burlin'
word: canned
word: clobbered
word: corned
word: cocked
word: cockeyed
word: crapulous
word: crocked
word: cunted
word: cup-shot
word: cup-shotten
word: cut
word: dead drunk
word: destroyed
word: disguised
word: drunk
word: drunk as a piper
word: drunked up
word: drunken
word: ebriated
word: ebriose
word: elephant's
word: elephant's trunk
word: elevated
word: faced
word: fap
word: fershnickered
word: flooey
word: floored
word: flush
word: flushed
word: flustered
word: fluted
word: fluthered
word: feeling no pain
word: fou
word: four sheets in the wind
word: fresh
word: fried
word: frosted
word: fuckered up
word: fuckfaced
word: fuddled
word: full
word: fuzzy-headed
word: fuzzy-minded
word: gassed
word: gattered
word: gee-eyed
word: gesuip
word: ginned
word: gished
word: glorious
word: groggified
word: groggy
word: half polluted
word: half cut
word: half lit
word: half seas over
word: hammered
word: have drink taken
word: have the sun in one's eyes
word: hazed
word: high as a Georgia pine
word: high as a kite
word: high
word: hog-whimpering
word: honkers
word: hooched up
word: hooted
word: hoovered
word: hosed
word: how came you so
word: impaired
word: in liquor
word: in one's altitudes
word: in one's cups
word: in the bag
word: in the drink
word: inebriate
word: inebriated
word: inebrious
word: insober
word: insobrietous
word: inter pocula
word: jaked
word: jarred
word: juiced
word: juiced up
word: kaylied
word: kisky
word: lamped
word: langered
word: langers
word: larruped
word: lash
word: lashed
word: lathered
word: legless
word: liquored up
word: liquory
word: lit
word: loaded
word: looped
word: loopy
word: loose
word: lubed
word: lubed up
word: lubricated
word: lushed
word: mad with it
word: maggot
word: maggoted
word: mashed
word: maudlin
word: medicated
word: messed up
word: monged
word: mortal
word: mortalled
word: Mozart and Liszt
word: muddled
word: muggy
word: mullered
word: munted
word: muzzy
word: MWI
word: nappy
word: newted
word: nimptopsical
word: obfuscated
word: obliviated
word: off one's box
word: off one's head
word: off one's tits
word: oiled
word: oiled up
word: Oliver
word: Oliver Twist
word: on the ran tan
word: ossified
word: out of it
word: out of one's box
word: out of one's face
word: out of one's head
word: out of sight
word: overcome
word: overrefreshed
word: overtaken
word: paralytic
word: parlatic
word: pickled
word: pie-eyed
word: pixilated
word: plastered
word: ploughed
word: plowed
word: polluted
word: potshot
word: potted
word: pounded
word: primed
word: puggled
word: quisby
word: raddled
word: rat-arsed
word: ratted
word: razzled
word: ripe
word: ripped
word: rolling
word: rubbered
word: sauced
word: sauced up
word: scammered
word: schloshed
word: schnockered
word: screwed
word: scuttered
word: sewed up
word: shedded
word: shellacked
word: shicker
word: shickered
word: shitty
word: skunked
word: slammed
word: slarmied
word: slizzard
word: sloppy drunk
word: sloshed
word: smashed
word: snockered
word: snookered
word: snozzled
word: snuffy
word: soaken
word: sodden
word: sotted
word: sottish
word: souped-up
word: soused
word: sozzled
word: sozzly
word: spanceled
word: spannered
word: spiffed
word: splashed
word: spongy
word: sprung
word: squiffed
word: steamboats
word: stewed
word: stinking
word: stinko
word: stoated
word: stoned
word: stonkered
word: stotious
word: strut
word: swacked
word: tanked
word: tanked up
word: temulent
word: temulentive
word: three sheets in the wind
word: three sheets to the wind
word: throwed
word: tight as a tick
word: tight
word: tilted
word: tippled
word: tipsy
word: tired and emotional
word: toasted
word: top-heavy
word: top-heavy with drink
word: toping
word: trashed
word: tuned
word: twatfaced
word: twisted
word: wastey
word: wazzed
word: wazzocked
word: well-oiled
word: wellied
word: wet
word: whittled
word: withered
word: wobbly
word: woozy
word: worse for liquor
word: worse for wear
word: wrecked
word: zoned
word: zonked
word: zooted
word: zorched
word: zotzed
glosses: Rather drunk.