he has eaten mandrake
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Said of a very indolent and sleepy man, from the narcotic and stupefying properties of the plant, well known to the ancients.
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 “he has eaten mandrake” mean?
Said of a very indolent and sleepy man, from the narcotic and stupefying properties of the plant, well known to the ancients.
Is “he has eaten mandrake” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.