both sheets in the wind

both sheets in the wind

Severely intoxicated from alcohol, to the point of finding control of one's actions or coordination difficult. Taken most likely from nautical terminology, in which a "sheet" is the rope that controls the sails of a tall ship; if several sheets are loose or mishandled, the boat's movement becomes unsteady and difficult to control, like that of a drunk person. On his 21st birthday, Jeff's friends took him to every bar in town until he was both sheets in the wind. I did karaoke last night? Willingly? Wow, I must have been both sheets in the wind! Help him get home, will ya? He started drinking whiskey, and now he's both sheets in the wind.

See also: both, sheet, wind

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

both sheets in the wind

intoxicated. (A ship's sheets are the ropes or lines that control the sails. See also three sheets in the wind.) She's both sheets in the wind at the moment. She's not just both sheets in the wind—they're all in the wind.

See also: both, sheet, wind

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

both sheets in the wind

mod. alcohol intoxicated. (see also three sheets in the wind.) She’s both sheets in the wind at the moment.

See also: both, sheet, wind

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.