bit by a barn mouse

bit by a barn mouse

obsolete Drunk or tipsy. (Barley, the primary ingredient for most beer, would have been kept in a barn, making it potential fodder for barn mice.) I had my suspicions that the farmhands may have all been bit by a barn mouse, judging by their slurred speech and languid demeanor.
See also: barn, bit, by, mouse
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • bitten by a barn mouse
  • happy
  • tuned
  • drink (someone) under the table
  • drink somebody under the table
  • drink someone under the table
  • drink under the table
  • look as if butter wouldn't melt in (one's) mouth
  • look as if butter wouldn't melt in mouth
  • look as if butter wouldn't melt in your mouth