The UK has an entirely different relationship with alcohol consumption from what people in the United States are used to. While drinking is obviously common in the US, it isn’t joked about with the same degree that you’ll see British people joking about it.
This difference in culture has caused the number of drinking-related slang words to expand exponentially in the UK. Most of them are hilarious, witty, and refreshingly original.
In this list, we’ll be showing you a bunch of British slang words for drunk. We’ll also provide a few examples, so you understand how they’re used.
Sit back with your favorite drink and let’s get started…
British Slang for Drunk
A
A Wee Bit Jolly
Meaning:
- (Expression): A gentler, more polite way to indicate someone has had a bit much too drink. This isn’t quite at the point of being blackout drunk.
- Example: “Don’t mind my father – he’s a wee bit jolly.”
Absolutely Badgered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): To be absolutely badgered is to be completely, horribly drunk. Use this one to describe someone who’s well past the point of no return.
- Example: “Let’s go to the pub and get absolutely badgered tonight.”
Absolutely Smashed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): This one is the same as absolutely badgered. Treat it similarly.
Annihilated
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Now this is a way to describe someone who’s blackout drunk. Annihilated is well beyond a wee bit jolly and should be reserved for times when you’re stumblingly inebriated.
- Example: “Sarah got absolutely annihilated in the pub last night. We had to carry her out the door.”
Away with the Fairies
Meaning:
- (Expression): A fun, creative way of saying someone’s gotten a little bit tipsy. You can also use this phrase to imply that someone is acting a little crazy or is unfocused.
- Example: “Sorry about my behavior. I’m away with the fairies at the moment.”
Read More: 101+ British Slang Insults
B
Banjaxed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): British slang for drunken that’s short, sweet, and to the point.
- Example: “My boss was banjaxed at the company party.”
Battered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Drunken. Can be said anytime you would say banjaxed.
Beered Up
Meaning:
- (Adjective): This term describes someone who’s gotten intoxicated as a result of beer.
- Example: “I’m all beered up and ready to party.”
Bevvied
Meaning:
- (Adjective): See banjaxed and battered.
Binned
Meaning:
- (Adjective): A term that simply means drunk. Can be used whenever you’d otherwise say someone is tipsy or inebriated.
Bladdered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): British slang for drunk that may refer to how someone often has to urinate while they’re drunk.
- Example: “He’s so bladdered, he’s gone and pissed himself.”
Blathered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Another term that means drunk. Synonymous with banjaxed.
Blitzed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): A drunken person.
Blootered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Less common and fun way of describing someone who’s had too much to drink.
Blotto
Meaning:
- (Adjective): To be drunk. It’s usually said with a ‘d’ sound at the end.
- Example: “I got completely blotto’d this weekend. Don’t remember any of it.”
Bog-Faced
Meaning:
- (Adjective): When you realize that “bog” is British slang for toilet, this phrase makes a lot of sense. It refers to when you’re so drunk, you end up vomiting into a toilet.
- Example: “He’s going to get bog-faced quickly if he doesn’t pace himself with his drinks.”
Boiled in the Bag
Meaning:
- (Expression): Old expression that means someone has had way too much drink. You can treat this one like “absolutely badgered,” for example.
Bollocksed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Bollocks is the British word for balls. When you say, “dog’s bollocks,” it’s a good thing…but when someone is bollocksed, they’re stupidly drunk.
- Example: “Sorry for the things I said while I was bollocksed last night.”
Boozed-Up
Meaning:
- (Adjective): To be drunk on any type of alcohol. You can say it the same way you’d say, “beered up,” but can use it to refer to booze in general and not just beer.
Buggered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Like bollocks, bugger is a famous British insult. It’s not surprising that “buggered” can also mean you’ve gotten stupidly drunk!
Buzzed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): To be drunk. This slang term is also somewhat common in the United States.
C
Can’t Lie Down without Holding On
Meaning:
- (Expression): A phrase that means someone is so drunk, they’ve gotten ridiculously clumsy.
- Example: “She’s so buzzed, she can’t lie down without holding on.”
Chemically Unbalanced
Meaning:
- (Adjective): A British euphemism for when someone has drunk too much booze. This one is a fun, humorous, and still delicate take on the concept.
- Example: “Excuse the strange things my aunt says. She’s chemically unbalanced at the moment.”
Clobbered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Another way of just saying that you’re drunk.
Comfortably Numb
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Another delicate and humorous euphemism for being drunk.
- Example:
- Person 1: “How’re you feeling right now?”
- Person 2: “I’m comfortably numb.”
D
Drunk as a Judge
Meaning:
- (Expression): An old turn of phrase that means someone is quite drunk. We’re not really sure how this one originated, but it paints a colorful picture.
- Example: “John’s drunk as a judge at the pub right now. Maybe you should wait before you try and ask him for anything.”
Drunk as a Lord
Meaning:
- (Expression): This is similar to drunk as a judge.
Drunk as a Newt
Meaning:
- (Expression): See drunk as a judge.
Drunk as a Skunk
Meaning:
- (Expression): Also see drunk as a judge. This is another common phrase in the US, too.
F
Fallen from Grace
Meaning:
- (Expression): A polite way of describing someone who’s inebriated that references the embarrassing acts they might do while drunk.
- Example: “She must be fallen from grace. She keeps trying to put an egg in the toaster.”
Fannied
Meaning:
- (Adjective): British slang word for drunk.
Far Gone
Meaning:
- (Expression): A British phrase to describe someone who’s really drunk. This is for someone who’s deep in their cups and will surely regret it tomorrow.
- Example: “Don’t ask her any serious questions because she’s far gone, I can assure you.”
Fecked
Meaning:
- (Adjective): You might hear this slang word for drunk in Northern Ireland. Feck is a fairly common version of “fu**” there.
- Example: “Here’s a word of advice: don’t show up to your job interview fecked.”
Feeling Absolutely No Pain Whatsoever
Meaning:
- (Expression): A gentlemanly way of telling someone that you’re drunk. It’s kind of like saying comfortably numb.
- Example:
- Person 1: “Are you doing all right, mate?”
- Person 2: “Don’t worry about me. I’m feeling absolutely no pain whatsoever.”
Fermented
Meaning:
- (Adjective): When some foods are fermented, they become alcoholic. The same word can be used to describe a person who’s drunk so much alcohol, they’re practically comprised of it.
Floored
Meaning:
- (Adjective): The state of being so drunk, you’ve ended up on the floor.
Fooked
Meaning:
- (Adjective): A variation of the word “fecked.”
Fuddled
Meaning:
- (Adjective): A way to describe someone who is drunk to the point of being mentally confused.
G
Got Your Beer Goggles On
Meaning:
- (Expression): Beer goggles is a phrase often used to describe how things or people can seem more attractive to you when you’re inebriated. Thus, if someone has their beer goggles on, they’re at least a little tipsy!
Learn More Slang: 101+ British Slang Words and Phrases
Greased
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Another British word that basically just means drunk.
Guttered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): This British slang word for drunk paints a vivid picture. It describes someone who’s so drunk, they’ve practically fallen face-down in a gutter.
- Example: “I need to stop making big life decisions while I’m guttered.”
H
Half-Cut
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Another basic slang term for someone who is drunk.
Hammered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Extremely common term for being drunk. If you’re from the US, you’ve likely already heard this term.
I
In Tatters
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Essentially, someone who’s so drunk, their dignity has been shredded.
- Example: “Might want to avoid talking to mum right now because she’s in tatters.”
In Your Cups
Meaning:
- (Expression): Polite way of indicating someone has been drinking. This phrase is starting to fall by the wayside a bit, so you might not hear it as often.
- Example: “He’s in his cups, so don’t take anything he says seriously.”
Inebriated
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Formal word for drunkenness. Although it’s formal, someone might use it in a sarcastic or joking tone to be funny.
Intoxicated
Meaning:
- (Adjective): See inebriated.
Irrigated with Horizontal Lubricant
Meaning:
- (Expression): Someone who’s drunk enough to be stumbling around or on the ground.
K
Kalied
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Lesser-known slang word for drunk.
L
Lagered Up
Meaning:
- (Expression): A lager is a type of beer, so it’s easy to see where this one comes from. You can use it just like how you’d say, “beered up.”
Langered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Another slang word for simply drunk.
Leathered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): See langered.
Legless
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Someone who’s so drunk, they’re stumbling around could be described as legless. It’s a state of being so drunk, you might as well have lost your legs.
- Example: “My legless companion over there keeps stumbling into walls. Remind me to stop buying him drinks earlier next time.”
Loaded
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Common slang term for an inebriated person.
Lubricated
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Similar in nature to loaded. You can use this to describe just about any extremely drunk person.
M
Marinated
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Marinated is another extremely vivid term because it calls to mind food that has been soaking in liquid. If you’re marinated, you’ve drank so much alcohol, you’re pretty much “soaking” in it!
- Example: “He’s completely marinated – doesn’t even know where he is right now.”
Mashed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Common British slang word for drunk.
Merry
Meaning:
- (Adjective): British slang word for drunk that’s like saying a wee bit jolly. Implies someone is a happy drunk.
Mingin
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Be careful with the pronunciation on this one – it’s ming-in. Another beloved British word that just means intoxicated.
Monkied
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Someone who is intoxicated to the point of foolishness.
- Example: “See that monkied eejit over there? That’s my husband.”
Mortal
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Less common way of saying drunk in British slang.
Mullered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): See mortal.
O
Off Your Face
Meaning:
- (Expression): A phrase that can mean drunk or high – just that you’re intoxicated in some way.
- Example: “I feel really off my face right now. I think I need to go home.”
Off Your Skull Drunk
Meaning:
- (Expression): Self-explanatory expression that means you are deeply drunk.
Off Your Tits
Meaning:
- (Expression): See Off Your Skull Drunk.
Off Your Trolley
Meaning:
- (Expression): See Off Your Skull Drunk.
On the Lash
Meaning:
- (Expression): A phrase that means to drink a large amount of alcohol.
- Example: “Want to go on the lash with me later?”
On the Piss
Meaning:
- (Expression): An informal and somewhat vulgar way to say someone has been drinking excessively.
- Example: “We went out on the piss last night.”
On the Sauce
Meaning:
- (Expression): See On the Lash.
One Over the Eight
Meaning:
- (Expression): Someone who has drank just a tiny bit too much. This comes from an old belief that the average man could safely handle eight beers.
- Example: “I told the police officer who pulled me over that I only had one over the eight. Guess that wasn’t a brilliant idea.”
Out of Your Tree
Meaning:
- (Expression): To be crazy as a result of consuming far too much alcohol.
- Example: “Sorry if I was out of my tree last night.”
P
Paralytic
Meaning:
- (Adjective): When one is so intoxicated, they can hardly move. In some regions in the UK, “palatik” is said as an alternative pronunciation of paralytic.
- Example: “Jon’s paralytic, so let him sleep it off.”
Pickled
Meaning:
- (Adjective): See marinated.
Pie-Eyed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): To be extremely inebriated.
- Example: “After several glasses of wine, my aunt became pie-eyed.”
Pissed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): In the UK, this doesn’t mean angry – it means you’re drunk. In Scotland, they’ll pronounce it as “pished” instead.
Pissed as a Fart
Meaning:
- (Expression): Humorous and vulgar way of saying you’re drunk.
Plastered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Common way of indicating you or someone else is drunk. You’ve likely heard this already if you live in the United States.
Potted
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Additional term for drunk.
R
Rat-Arsed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): To be very drunk.
Reekin’
Meaning:
- (Adjective): This word literally means something that stinks. In a British slang sense, it can mean someone drank so much, they now smell like alcohol.
- Example: “He’s drank so much tonight, he’s reekin.’”
Rendered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Another slang term for drunk.
Rinsed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): To be quite drunk.
Ripe and Ready
Meaning:
- (Expression): See rinsed.
Ruined
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Drunk to the point of total foolishness. See annihilated.
S
Saying Hello to Mr. Armitage
Meaning:
- (Expression): Bizarre British phrase that means one is a bit on the drunk side.
- Example: “I’m just saying hello to Mr. Armitage. You’ll have to excuse me.”
Scuttered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Slang term for someone who is inebriated.
Seeing Double
Meaning:
- (Expression): When you’re so drunk, it’s making your eyesight unstable.
- Example: “You know you’ve had one too many when you’re seeing double.”
Sh**-Canned
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Another slang term for someone drunk.
Sh**-faced
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Phrase for a drunk person that’s also common in the United States.
Shited
Meaning:
- (Adjective): British slang term that can be used to describe something that is unpleasant or someone who’s totally marinated.
Shozzled
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Another word for someone that’s completely wasted.
Slaughtered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): An individual who is extremely drunk. See also annihilated.
Sloshed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Fun word for an individual who’s been hitting the drinks a little too much.
- Example: “I got sloshed after spending my evening with a bottle of wine.”
Sloshed to the Gills
Meaning:
- (Expression): A phrase that’s a step up from sloshed. Use this one if you want to say sloshed, but also want to emphasize it.
Smashed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): The British equivalent of the American word “wasted.”
- Example: “I got absolutely smashed last night at the pub.”
Soused
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Someone who is deeply intoxicated.
Sozzled
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Very drunk.
- Example: “Leo was sozzled last night. I wonder if he’s regretting it now?”
Spinning without Moving
Meaning:
- (Expression): When someone is so deeply drunk, they feel dizzy whether or not they’re actually spinning.
Steaming
Meaning:
- (Adjective): A word you might use to describe someone who’s an angry drunk.
- Example: “He was red-faced and steaming the last time we saw him.”
Stewed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): See marinated.
Stonking
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Drunk.
T
Tanked Up
Meaning:
- (Adjective): See beered up.
Three Sheets to the Wind
Meaning:
- (Expression): This old phrase is a popular one that means drunk. It comes from the sails on a ship; if all three sails were loose, it became impossible to steer the ship. If you’re three sheets to the wind, you’re essentially out of control.
- Example: “I don’t want to deal with you while you’re three sheets to the wind.”
Tiddly
Meaning:
- (Adjective): To be a little bit drunk. This is kind of like how you might say tipsy in the United States.
- Example: “He’s a real lightweight who gets tiddly after half a beer.”
Tight
Meaning:
- (Adjective): In the US, the word tight has another meaning entirely. But in the UK, being tight means you’re drunk.
Tipsy
Meaning:
- (Adjective): See tiddly.
Tired and Emotional
Meaning:
- (Expression): A polite, professional euphemism you can use when you don’t want to be obvious about what you’re saying.
- Example: “The CEO had to take the day off because he’s tired and emotional.”
Titted
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Very drunk.
Top-Heavy
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Another word for very drunk.
Trolleyed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Common British slang word for someone who’s intoxicated.
Trousered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Another slang term for inebriation.
Twatted
Meaning:
- (Adjective): You’ve probably heard a British person use the word “twat” as an insult before. You can also say twatted when you refer to someone who’s drunk.
U
Under the Influence
Meaning:
- (Expression): Another polite and somewhat formal way of describing someone who’s drunk. It can also be applied to people who are high.
Utterly Carparked
Meaning:
- (Expression): Common British phrase with a polite twist that means drunk.
W
Wankered
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Wanker is another common British slang phrase. Although you can use it to refer to someone who’s a jerk, it also works when describing a drunk person.
Wasted
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Extremely common slang term for drunk.
Wazzocked
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Another slang word for very drunk.
Wellied
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Slang term for an intoxicated person.
Whammed
Meaning:
- (Adjective): Description for an inebriated individual.
Woozy
Meaning:
- (Adjective): When you’re drunk to the point of being a bit wobbly or dizzy.
- Example: “I got woozy after my second pint.”
Wrecked
Meaning:
- (Adjective): See wasted.
Z
Zombied
Meaning:
- (Adjective): A way to describe someone who’s drunk enough to be reduced to a zombie – shuffling, unintelligible, and possibly rank.
- Example: “Ryan got zombied at the party last night.”
Wrap Up
As you can see from this list, there are a ton of British slang words and phrases to describe someone who’s maybe had a bit too much to drink. There are likely others we haven’t even heard before.
Do you know any British slang for drunkenness that we missed? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
