The expression "three sheets to the wind" is an informal idiomatic phrase that means someone is very drunk or intoxicated. It is often used to describe a person who has consumed a significant amount of alcohol and is stumbling, slurring their words, or behaving in a disoriented manner due to their intoxication.

The phrase likely originates from nautical terminology, where "sheets" are ropes that control the sails on a sailing ship. If all three sheets were to become loose or unsecured in the wind, it would cause the ship's sails to flap aimlessly, making the vessel difficult to control, much like a person who is stumbling and unsteady due to excessive drinking.

For example, if someone says, "He had too much to drink at the party and was three sheets to the wind," they mean that the person was extremely drunk. He would have trouble controlling his movement and clumsily stumble about.

"Three sheets to the wind" is an informal and colloquial phrase that is typically not used in formal or academic settings. In formal essays and pieces of writing, it is best to use terms like "intoxicated" or "under the influence" to express the state of drunkenness.

Example sentences

  1. After bar hopping, he was stumbling around, three sheets to the wind.
  2. She had one too many cocktails and ended up at the party three sheets to the wind.
  3. He tried to give a speech, but he was so drunk that he sounded like he was three sheets to the wind.
  4. It was clear from his slurred speech that he was three sheets to the wind.
  5. The last thing I remember from the party is being three sheets to the wind.
  6. They had a wild night out and returned home three sheets to the wind.
  7. It's not safe to drive when you're three sheets to the wind.
  8. The actor's erratic behavior on stage made it obvious he was three sheets to the wind.
  9. She couldn't walk a straight line; she was definitely three sheets to the wind.
  10. The morning after the celebration, they woke up with pounding headaches, realizing they had been three sheets to the wind the night before.

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Reference:

Three sheets to the wind Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
Three sheets to the wind definition, undefined See more.
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