'Oot yer tree': 30 uniquely Scottish words to describe being drunk - and their origin

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Our country’s reputation for drinking has a vocabulary to match, with many words to describe being worse for wear. But where do these terms originate? The North-east of Scotland provides plenty of Doric terms for those “awa’ wi’ it” or “stoatin’ aboot”, and some are shared with the North of England and Ireland. Here we look at 30 words that describe being drunk...

Scots for wandering aimlessly, which often describes how a drunk person will act.

Shares its origins with that of communities in the North of England.

This refers to when rum rations were cut and water was added to reduce the ABV.

A Doric, or north-east, phrase for being drunk.

First known use to describe being drunk was in the 60s.

Tanked refers to the drunk tank - a jail cell or separate place to keep drunk people until they sobered up.

This phrase dates from around 1900 and comes from the wide-eyed stare of a drunk person - with eyes as wide and blank as the top of a pie.

To do something clumsily or haphazardly, slang for drunk since the early 20th century.

Simple out of your tree, which is derived from the phrase out of your mind or, as it was known in the 19th century, out of one's gourd.

The origins of the word are not certain, but it is thought to have its roots in the cross-pollination of the Scots and the Irish language, which share a number of common colloquialisms.

This term means to fall or be unsteady - the action of knees buckling - a common occurrence when very drunk.

Scottish term for pissed.

Used as slang since the early 20th century but has roots in early America where teetotalers would hammer delinquency notices to the doors of well-known drunk people.

An Edinburgh or east coast term for being drunk. Also means to be very smelly, and is used in the north of England.