I am a peg too low
Preserved but no longer current.
I am low-spirited, moody; I want another draught to cheer me up. Our Saxon ancestors used tankards with pegs in- serted at equal intervals, so that when two or more drank from the same bowl no one might exceed his fair proportion (cp. PIN — In merry pin). We are told that St. Dunstan introduced the fashion to prevent brawling.
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 “I am a peg too low” mean?
I am low-spirited, moody; I want another draught to cheer me up. Our Saxon ancestors used tankards with pegs in- serted at equal intervals, so that when two or more drank from the same bowl no one might exceed his fair proportion (cp. PIN — In merry pin). We are told that St. Dunstan introduced the fashion to prevent brawling.
Is “I am a peg too low” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.