| 词组 | three sheets to the wind |
| 释义 | three sheets to the windslang Extremely drunk. Most likely derived from nautical terminology, in which a "sheet" is the rope that controls the sails of a tall ship; if several sheets are loose or mishandled, the boat's movement becomes unsteady and difficult to control, like that of a drunk person. On his 21st birthday, Jeff's friends took him to every bar in town until he was three sheets to the wind. three sheets to the windAlso, three sheets in the wind. Drunk, inebriated, as in After six beers he's three sheets to the wind. This expression is generally thought to refer to the sheet-that is, a rope or chain-that holds one or both lower corners of a sail. If the sheet is allowed to go slack in the wind, the sail flaps about and the boat is tossed about much as a drunk staggers. Having three sheets loose would presumably make the situation all the worse. Another explanation holds that with two or four sheets to the wind the boat is balanced, whereas with three it is not. [Mid-1800s] three sheets to the windOLD-FASHIONED, INFORMALIf someone is three sheets to the wind, they are drunk. He's probably three sheets to the wind down at Toby's, wondering where he left his truck. Note: On a boat, the ropes that control the position of the sails are called sheets. If the sheets are left hanging loose, the sails flap freely in the wind and cannot be controlled. (be) three sheets to the ˈwind(old-fashioned) (be) drunk: By 11 o’clock he was three sheets to the wind and we had to take him home in a cab. OPPOSITE: stone-cold soberThis idiom comes from sailing: if three sheets (= the ropes attached to the sails) are loose, the wind blows the sails about and the boat moves in a very unsteady way.three sheetsverbSee three sheets in the wind three sheets to the windverbSee three sheets in the wind three sheetsto/in the wind Informal Intoxicated; drunk. three sheets to the windVery drunk. Despite what it sounds like to nonsailors, a “sheet” isn't a sail. It's the rope that secures the sail's edge or corner to the mast or the vessel itself. A sheet that comes loose flaps erratically, much like a drunken sailor weaving his way back to the ship after a night's alcoholic revelry. Three sheets blowing in the wind would be even worse. |
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