drunk as a skunk
Meaning: Extremely drunk.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “By the end of the wedding, the best man was drunk as a skunk and singing to the cake.”
Category: Animals
Origin: An American comparison chosen mainly for the rhyme; skunks have nothing to do with drinking. It is recorded from around the mid-20th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Polish: pijany jak świnia — literally: drunk as a pig
- French: Beurré comme un p'tit Lu — literally: Buttered like a little Lu
- French: Saoul comme un Polonais — literally: Drunk as a Pole
- French: Bourré comme un coing — literally: Stuffed like a quince
More idioms — Animals
- kick against the pricks — To resist authority or fate in a way that only hurts oneself.
- hell for leather — As fast as possible.
- buy a pig in a poke — To buy something without examining it first.
- a Trojan horse — Something that seems harmless but hides a threat inside.
- the dogs bark, but the caravan moves on — Let critics complain; one carries on regardless.
- neither fish nor fowl — Something that fits into no clear category.
More English idioms
- know someone in the biblical sense — To have had sex with someone.
- in one's birthday suit — Completely naked.
- throw caution to the wind — To stop being careful and take a risk.
- a last stand — A final, determined effort to resist, usually when defeat is likely.
- you could hear a pin drop — It was completely silent.
- just to be on the safe side — As an extra precaution, even if it is probably unnecessary.
From our untranslatable words
- Chōu kōng — To steal a moment of escape from a hectic schedule — finding a sliver of free time and us…
- Jugaad — A creative, frugal fix — a clever improvised solution that gets things done with whatever…
- Cafuné — The tender act of running your fingers through someone's hair — an intimate gesture of lo…