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Glite Dictionary
in one's cups

in one's cups

9.9
Drunk after drinking too much alcohol
  • idiom
  • Archaic
: ebrio
  • At the party, she was in her cups and began to share funny stories from her past.

Examples

  • While in his cups, the fellow was somewhat indiscreet.

    The Mark of Zorro (1940)

  • After a few drinks, he was clearly in his cups and started singing loudly.

  • You should avoid driving if you are in your cups after that last round of drinks.

Synonyms

drunken
vsin one's cups
163 2.8

Having too much alcohol in the body and behaving loudly or strangely

is the straightforward label for the person's state from drinking
wasted
vsin one's cups
  • NSFW
94 8.4

Very drunk or affected by drugs and unable to think clearly

is the alcohol state without implying drug use or total inability
intoxicated
vsin one's cups
  • NSFW
55 4.2

Unable to control your actions because of alcohol or drugs

is limited to alcohol and does not always imply drug involvement
drunk
vsin one's cups
38 3.0

Feeling a very strong emotion that makes you excited or unable to think clearly

is the plain term mainly for actual alcohol effect without emotion
under the influence
vsin one's cups
  • NSFW
37 5.8

Not able to do daily tasks safely because of alcohol or drugs

is the plain state of alcohol effect without the legal emphasis
hammered
vsin one's cups
  • Slang
28 8.4

Very drunk from drinking alcohol

is the general state without implying heavy physical impairment
tipsy
vsin one's cups
  • Informal
24 4.8

A little drunk after drinking a small amount of alcohol

is the broader term for being under alcohol's effect not necessarily mild
inebriated
vsin one's cups
  • Formal
15 6.5

To be very drunk after drinking too much alcohol

is the neutral everyday term for being under alcohol's effect
soaked
vsin one's cups
  • Informal
14 8.5

Being very drunk after drinking a lot of alcohol

is the standard term for being affected by alcohol without excess
plastered
vsin one's cups
  • Informal
13 8.3

Very drunk after drinking a lot of alcohol

is the neutral term without the strong informal tone
smashed
vsin one's cups
  • Slang
6 8.4

Very drunk after drinking a lot of alcohol

is the ordinary alcohol state without such marked loss of control
blind drunk
vsin one's cups
  • Informal
5 7.9

So affected by alcohol that you are not aware of what you do or where you are

is the basic alcohol state without such extreme unawareness
drunk as a skunk
vsin one's cups
  • Informal
4 8.9

Too much alcohol makes a person very unsteady and unable to think clearly

is the neutral term for alcohol effect not exaggerated in tone
sloshed
vsin one's cups
  • Informal
4 9.2

Very drunk after drinking too much

is the same state but expressed in neutral rather than casual language
drinky
vsin one's cups
  • UK
2 9.9

A little drunk or likely to drink alcohol

is the label for being actually affected by alcohol, not a mere tendency
pished
vsin one's cups
  • Slang
1 9.9

Very drunk and unable to walk or speak clearly

is the general nonregional term for the same alcohol caused state
in the drink
vsin one's cups
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who is very drunk and cannot find their way home

is the common neutral expression for the same alcohol caused state
pixilated
vsin one's cups
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Feeling very drunk and acting foolishly

is the modern neutral expression without the old-fashioned or foolish sense
off one's tits
vsin one's cups
  • Offensive
9.9

To say someone is very drunk or high on drugs in an informal rude way

is the neutral term without crude slang or drug implication

Antonyms

sober
286 3.2

Not having drunk alcohol or taken drugs

How Drunk

plastered
  • Informal
13 8.3
in one's cups
  • Archaic
9.9
tipsy
  • Informal
24 4.8
sober
286 3.2

Surface Forms

in one's cups positive

Morphology

in + one + cups

Knowing 'cup(s)' as drinking vessels gives a plausible route to infer alcohol consumption, so a learner could guess a relation to drinking and thus to being drunk. However, the possessive construction 'in one's cups' is idiomatic and somewhat archaic, so the exact meaning ('intoxicated') is not fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrase in one's cups may come from the image of a person sitting among empty cups after a long night of drinking. So, being 'in one's cups' came to mean 'drunk'.