Half in the bag

Posted by ESC on December 04, 2008 at 22:43

In Reply to: Half in the bag posted by jdonley106 on December 02, 2008 at 11:13:

: What is the origin of the phrase 'half in the bag'?

Do you mean "in the bag" meaning drunk? This a guess. When one buys liquor, the clerk usually puts it one of those little bags. And if a person is wanting to be discrete while taking a drink in public, he leaves the bag on. In West Virginia, liquor used to only be sold in "state stores," also called "bag stores."

• Half in the bag Smokey Stover 17/December/08