Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Going to Load My Cart, Get Wamble Crop'd

So for a while now I've been giggling my way through a lecture segment about early American drinking habits. At one point, I tell the students that there are more than 220 names for being drunk from early America. Naturally, they want to know some of these slang terms. But I must say: "Sorry! I don't know them."

NO MORE!

Today, I stumbled across a reference to a list by Benjamin Franklin. Turns out that Franklin catalogued 228 names for drunkeness, including Loading the Cart. Others?

Cramp'd
Cherubimical
Cherry Merry
Wamble Crop'd
Crack'd
Concern'd
Half Way to Concord
Has taken a Chirriping-Glass
Got Corns in his Head
A Cup too much
Coguy
Copey
He's heat his Copper
He's Crocus
Catch'd
He cuts his Capers,
He's been in the Cellar
Non Compos
Cock'd
Curv'd
Cut
Chipper
Chickery
He's been too free with the Creature

Gotta love Ben. How many Founding Fathers spent their time detailing A) names for drunkeness (and the above is merely a portion of the 'C' category!) and B) Why older women make better mistresses?

None, that's how many. Oh, and meanwhile he's discovering the Gulf Stream and convincing the French to help us win the Revolution. You know, no biggie.

We, on the other hand, spend our time watching British Big Brother. Because when Charley's extensions turned into "one big dred" after she went in the pool? Crisis mode, darling.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You just made me cry with laughter at my desk and I soooooo needed it. Budgets sucks. But I will also think of you tonight when I am watching Lyle Lovett and his Large Band at Wolf Trap with Michelle.

I promise not to go half way to Concord... but maybe to Lexington?

Megan said...

My favorite was "He's been too free with the Creature" - very...umm...descriptive! :)

Ben Franklin is probably the most entertaining Founding Father, though I've still got a soft spot for James Madison (a leprechaun of a man, but he gave us the Bill of Rights, after all...)