24. November 2025

Sloshed! 52 British words for being drunk

Drunk person dressed as a panda sitting on the street

The British love a good drink. And, one might say, the more a certain phenomenon occurs in a certain culture, the more words that culture will have for it. I could probably fill a small book with British words for being drunk – but I’ll limit myself to these 52.

—–

Hmm, yes – feeling the effects a little…

Tipsy

Squiffy

Merry

Yes, I’m drunk

Well-oiled

Got my beer goggles on

Pissed

Pissed as a newt

Inebriated

Intoxicated

Pished

I walked into the door on the way to the loo…

Legless

Sloshed

Drunk as a skunk

Drunk as a Lord

Hammered

Rat-arsed

Ratted

Three sheets to the wind

Lathered

Mashed

Pickled

Caned

Smashed

Off one’s face

Sozzled

Lashed

Wellied

Trashed

Trollied

Trousered

Uh-oh, the room’s spinning…

Arseholed

Wankered

F*cked

Spannered

Wasted

Fannied

Bladdered

Stewed

Slaughtered

Blotto

Tanked

Man down! I’m on the floor

Four to the floor

Paralytic

Sh*t-faced

Blasted

Pole-axed

Mullered

Out of it

Wrecked

Tw*tted

I’m going to be waking up in a skip with one shoe and wearing someone else’s trousers

Cabbaged

Mortal

—–

Can you think of any other words and phrases to include in my list? Have I got the categorisation wrong for any words? Drop me a line at me[at]katharinewrites.com to let me know your thoughts!

—–

More articles for fellow English language nerds:

Victorian words and phrases from Britain

Midlands dialect and the odd things my mum says

What the British say and what they mean: a brief guide

English words of Indian origin

—–

Image credit: Erik McClean on Unsplash