As drunk as David's sow
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Very drunk indeed. To get the wrong sow by the ear. To capture the wrong individual, to take the wrong end of the stick, hit upon the wrong thing.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “As drunk as David's sow” mean?
Very drunk indeed. To get the wrong sow by the ear. To capture the wrong individual, to take the wrong end of the stick, hit upon the wrong thing.
Is “As drunk as David's sow” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.