bitten by a barn mouse

bitten 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 bitten by a barn mouse, judging by their slurred speech and languid demeanor.
See also: barn, bitten, by, mouse
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • bit by a barn mouse
  • happy
  • mouse
  • tuned
  • born in a barn
  • barn
  • (as) broad as a barn door
  • broad as a barn door
  • drink (someone) under the table
  • drink under the table