Among his many achievements, Benjamin Franklin was the publisher and editor of The Pennsylvania Gazette, which offered news, opinion, and humor to its readers.

The humor includes “The Drinker’s Dictionary” brought out by Franklin in January 1736. The piece begins with a condemnation of drunkenness I don’t take with complete seriousness since Franklin is also famous for saying “Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy”.

In any case, The Dictionary features more than 200 “round-about Phrases” or slang terms “to signify plainly that A MAN IS DRUNK.”

Some of this slang does not make much sense, having grown enigmatic over the past 270 years. However, I think that makes it funnier, the way some drunk men become more amusing as they make less sense. Here is a selection of my favorites:

B. He’s Biggy, Boozy, Bowz’d, Buskey, Buzzey, Bungey. He’s kiss’d black Betty.

C. He’s been too free with the Creature. Sir Richard has taken off his Considering Cap.

G. He’s Glad, Groatable, Gold-headed, Booz’d the Gage, As Dizzy as a Goose.

J. He’s Jolly, Jagg’d, Jambled, Going to Jerusalem, Jocular, Been to Jerico, Juicy.

P. He’s as good conditioned as a Puppy. He’s been among the Philippians. He’s contending with Pharaoh.

R. He’s Rocky, Raddled, Rich, Religious, Lost His Rudder, Ragged, Rais’d.

S. He’s Steady, Stiff, Stew’d, Stubb’d, Soak’d, Soft.

W. He’s Wise. He’s Wet.