to drown the miller
Preserved but no longer current.
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 “to drown the miller” mean?
To put too much water into" spirrts, or tea. The idea is that the supply of water is so great that even the miller, who uses a water wheel, is drowned with it.
Is “to drown the miller” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.