sad drunk
noun1
Idiomatic A person who is gloomy or depressed when intoxicated, unable to retain reasonable control of their mental and emotional faculties.
- What the hell is happening to me? They are looking at me like I’m drunk, but I’m either a mean drunk or a sad drunk, never a happy drunk. A happy Red Kane is impossible.1987, Andrew M. Greeley, chapter 2, in Patience of a Saint, Warner Books, page 16:
- Mary sighed inwardly. She hadn’t known she was a sad drunk, until now. Maybe the horrible day was catching up with her. “Natalia, can I get more champagne?”2016, Lisa Scottoline, chapter 11, in Damaged, St. Martin's Press, page 137:
1 more example
- It was worse drunk than sober. Winnie was a sad drunk, a dark drunk; she thought of bad things when there was alcohol in her.2020, Tarryn Fisher, chapter 19, in The Wrong Family, Graydon House Books, page 119:
- Related terms
- hold one's liquor