squiffy
adjUK /ˈskwɪf.i/
Etymology Unknown; possibly coined in the 19th century.
1
Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, Informal slightly drunk or intoxicated; tipsy
- In the Palace bar. I'd been there an hour or so with two or three other chaps. I was a bit squiffy.1992, J. B. Priestley, An Inspector Calls, Heinemann, →ISBN, page 51:
- His champagne glass was constantly refilled by the man who might or might not have been a butler, so that by the time they actually sat down to play, Ramsay was decidedly squiffy.2022, Kate Atkinson, Shrines of Gaiety:
2
Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, Informal Crooked, askew; awry
- To this day I cannot and will not wear a tie properly. On the one or two occasions I have worn them since I left school, I've worn them squiffy, on purpose.2004, Jude Rawlins, Cul De Sac: Lyrics, Prose & Poems 1987-2004, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 11:
- The graphics make your eyes go squiffy.2005, Catherine Soanes, Angus Stevenson, editors, The Oxford Dictionary of English (revised edition), Oxford University Press:
- Synonyms
- buzzed, merry, muzzy, squiffed, cattywampus, cockeyed, skew-whiff
- Derived terms
- squiffily, squiffiness